Two days after hosting a press conference on the killings of three Muslim men in the last nine months, Albuquerque police were back to address yet another one Saturday.
Just before midnight Friday, the Albuquerque Police Department received word of the murder of yet another Muslim man, Police Chief Harold Medina told reporters. And authorities believe the four killings may be linked, he said.
Muhammad Afzaal Hussain, a 27-year-old local official in the city of Española, was shot and killed outside his apartment on Monday. Six days earlier, 41-year-old Aftab Hussein was killed in his apartment complex parking lot less than five miles away. They both reportedly attended the same mosque.
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The first of the killings occurred in November 2021, when 62-year-old Mohammad Ahmadi was shot and killed outside a halal cafe.
An APD spokesperson said he could not give specifics on the latest killing, but there was a “connection” between the crime and the previous murders that made him believe they could be linked. He added: “It is surprising that this happened so soon after we spoke on Thursday.”
Medina, the police chief, said the department was working with the FBI and district attorneys office to track down the killer or killers, and had increased patrols in high-priority neighborhoods. The police department said it could not comment on any suspects at this time, and that it was too early to say if they were looking for a serial killer.
The police previously said that the first three men were ambushed by the attacker, who they believed was “lying in wait” for his victims. In a press conference Thursday, Kyle Hartsock of the APD declined to give more details on the connections between the cases, but added: “There is one strong commonality with the victims—the race and religion.”
Medina urged members of the Muslim community on Saturday to “be vigilant” and report anything suspicious to the police.
“I can’t stress enough, public safety is our top priority during this investigation, and that starts with the security of the Muslim community here in Albuquerque,” he said.
Members of the Muslim community also spoke at the press conference, urging state and national politicians to support local law enforcement in their work.
“Evil will not win, hate will not win,” said Ahmad Assed, president of the Islamic Center of New Mexico. “We will defeat evil and hate together.”
