Albuquerque’s Muslim community is still reeling after police arrested a man in connection with the murders of four Muslim men. Police said the men were shot in ambush-style killings.
51-year-old Muhammad Syed was arrested Monday. He was taken into custody after a traffic stop about 100 miles away from his home. A community tip about the type of car Syed was driving helped law enforcement track him down. His house was also searched by police. Several guns were found.
Syed is charged with killing Aftab Hussein and Muhammad Afzal Hussain. Bullet casings found at the crime scenes of those murders match a gun police found in Syed’s home.
Syed is the prime suspect in the murders of Mohammad Amadi and Naeem Hussain.
Syed is from Afghanistan. He’s lived in the U.S. for about five years. Police said Syed knew the victims and attended the same mosque on occasion. Police are still investigating the motivation for the murders but said an interpersonal matter may have led to the shootings.
Prosecutors are expected to file murder charges in state court. A federal case is also being considered.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
