Killings of Three Muslim Men in Albuquerque May Be Linked, Police Say

The police in Albuquerque are investigating the killings of three Muslim men that they say may be connected.

Earlier this week, Muhammad Afzaal Hussain, 27, and Aftab Hussein, 41, two Pakistani men who attended the same mosque, were fatally shot, the police said.

A third Muslim man was killed early Saturday morning, according to police. The identity of the latest victim has not been released, though the police said he was a “young man.”

The authorities said they believed this week’s violence might also be connected to the November 2021 killing in Albuquerque of Mohammad Ahmadi, 62, another Muslim man of South Asian descent.

The authorities did not elaborate on why they thought the killings may be connected and did not say whether there were any witnesses to the homicides, but they said they believed the Muslim community was being targeted.

The Albuquerque Police Department, along with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office, is asking city residents to come forward with any information that could be connected to the killings.

“This is something that impacts us all,” Raúl Torrez, the Bernalillo County district attorney, said at a news conference on Saturday. “Every member of this community has to stand up.”

Officials with the Islamic Center of New Mexico, still reeling from the Friday night funeral service for Mr. Hussain and Mr. Hussein, said they were shocked to learn of another death the next morning.

“We are incredibly sickened with the idea that someone has this much hate against innocent people,” said Ahmad Assed, the president of the Islamic Center of New Mexico. “We’re scared for our families, we’re scared for our children. And we are incredibly confused about why this is happening.”

The Council on American-Islamic Relations said Friday that it would offer a $5,000 reward to anyone who could provide information that would lead to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for the killings.

“We’ve really never seen something like this, where there’s multiple similar murders that really seem connected,” said Ibrahim Hooper, the national communications director for the council.