Albuquerque: Here's everything we know so far about the killings of 4 Muslim men

The killings of four Muslim men in the past few months have shaken Albuquerque with the Muslim population now on edge. The police is investigating whether the killings of these men of South Asian descent are linked, the most recent of which was reported on Friday.

"While we are still sifting through all the evidence to look for more connections, it is deeply troubling that these men were Muslim and of similar descent," deputy commander of Albuquerque Police Department's Criminal Investigations Division, Kyle Hartsock, was reported as saying by CNN.

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The police further informed that they are looking for a "vehicle of interest," a dark silver sedan-style Volkswagen Jetta or Passat.

"We have a very, very strong lead. We have a vehicle of interest...we have got to find this vehicle," Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller was quoted as saying by CNN. "We don't know at this point what it is associated with, or who owns it."

The victims are - Mohammad Ahmadi, 62, Muhammad Afzaal Hussain, 27, Aftab Hussein, 41, and Naeem Hussain, 25. The last three murders were reported within the last two weeks, while another killing from November last year has now been thrown open.

The Albuquerque police officers responded to reports of a shooting on Friday just before midnight in the Truman Street and Grand Avenue area, which is where they found Naeem Hussain dead.

The other three were all ambush-style killings. Muhammad Afzaal Hussain and Aftab Hussein were from Pakistan and found dead in Southeast Albuquerque. While Muhammad Afzaal was shot dead on August 1, Aftab Hussein, who was found with gunshot wounds on July 26, succumbed to his injuries.

Mohammad Ahmadi was from Afghanistan and was shot outside his business on November 7, 2021.

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The general public has also been asked to upload any helpful pictures and videos on an online portal set up to assist with the investigation. The police hasn't yet talked about a suspect, though.

President Joe Biden on Sunday deplored the killings of the four Muslim men. "I am angered and saddened by the horrific killings of four Muslim men in Albuquerque," the US president said on Twitter.

Notably, Naeem, who had migrated as a refugee from Pakistan in 2016, had attended a funeral for Muhammad Afzaal Hussain and Aftab Hussein on the day he was killed.

(With inputs from agencies)

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