In brief
Amin Abdullah, a father of eight and security guard at the Islamic Center of San Diego, was hailed as a hero after he was killed trying to protect worshippers during a shooting. Police credited his actions with preventing what could have been a much deadlier attack, as he enacted lockdown procedures and confronted the attackers at the mosque's entrance. The shooting has since been investigated as a hate crime, with the two teenage suspects taking their own lives shortly after the incident.
The bravery of a security guard who was shot dead along with two other worshippers at a San Diego mosque on Monday prevented the attack from being much worse, say police. The guard was Amin Abdullah, a father of eight, a spokeswoman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations-San Diego (Cair-SD), Tazheen Nizam, told the BBC. It's fair to say his actions were heroic, San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl told a news conference. Undoubtedly, he saved lives today.Abdullah and two others - whom Cair-SD named as Mansour Kaziha and Nader Awad - were killed by two yet-to-be-identified teenage attackers who then took their own lives, say police. As the suspects ran past Abdullah at the mosque's entrance, he began shooting, and they returned fire. He also enacted lockdown procedures and is credited with saving numerous lives, including that of 140 children at the school that is part of the centre, Wahl said at a briefing on Tuesday. The two other victims then drew the attention of the suspects in a parking lot, where they were fatally shot. Wahl emphasized that Abdullah's response undoubtedly forced the suspects to flee. Community members remember Abdullah as someone who always made sure everyone felt welcome. His daughter has stated that her father would want the community to unite in the face of adversity. An online fundraiser to support the victims' families has raised over $2.9 million as the investigation into the shootings continues. The incident is being treated as a hate crime, with authorities revealing that the suspects had expressed extremist beliefs. The community mourns the loss of three dedicated individuals and stands together against violence.
