Albuquerque Police detained the primary suspect believed to be behind the murder of four Muslim men in New
Mexico on Tuesday. The suspect has been identified as Muhammad Syed, 51. The
murders had sparked a wave of concern across Muslim nations around the world. The
detention followed the murder of a Muslim man on Friday night.

Law enforcement officials
say they plan to charge the suspect with the murders of 41-year-old Aftab Hussein
and 27-year-old Afzal Hussain.  

Friday night’s murder was
fourth in a series of murders. Two other Muslim men were shot and killed in
Albuquerque in the last two weeks, a third was killed in November, 2021. While
the identity of the last victim remains to be found, cops say the victim was a
Muslim man in his 20s from South Asia.

Before this, 27-year-old
Muhammad Afzal Hussain was murdered on August 1 and 41-year-old Aftab Hussein
was killed on July 26. Both Hussain and Hussein were from Pakistan. Police suspect
a connection between these murders and the killing of Mohammad Ahmadi on
November 7, 2021.

Also Read | Albuquerque killings: Police detain ‘primary suspect’, track down vehicle used in murders

Kyle Hartsock, Albuquerque’s
Deputy Police Commander, said they began investigating Syed following a tip
from the community that led officers to get a warrant to search his home and
car.

When cops arrived, the suspect
got into a Volkswagen Jetta, the same kind of vehicle the police had advertised
to the public, and drove away. Cops found several firearms in the vehicle,
including one who’s bullet casings matched the one found at the scenes of the
two killings.  

United States President Joe
Biden tweeted: “I am angered and saddened by the horrific killings of four
Muslim men in Albuquerque. While we await a full investigation, my prayers are
with the victims’ families, and my Administration stands strongly with the
Muslim community. These hateful attacks have no place in America.”

“We know that our community
is hurting, and we are grieving with you,” said Michelle Melendez, Albuquerque’s
director of equity and inclusion. “We cannot denounce strongly enough what
appears to be the targeting of people because of their race and religion.”