Two Attackers Killed Three at San Diego Islamic Center

Two gunmen tried to enter the Islamic Center of San Diego on Monday. Three people inside stopped the attackers but were killed. The victims were identified as security guard Amin Abdullah, store manager Mansour Kaziha, and community member Nadir Awad. About 140 children and teachers were inside the building at the time.

Abdullah exchanged gunfire with the attackers and called for a lockdown before he died, police said. Kaziha directed people away from the line of fire. Awad ran toward the shooting from his nearby home. Investigators said the gunmen were radicalized online and expressed support for a white ethnostate.

Their writings contained neo-Nazi material and statements against Muslims, Jews, and the LGBTQ community.

The center had added armed security and gates after receiving hate flyers in 2023. Sarah Youssef, a college student who attended the center’s school as a child, said the new measures reflected growing concerns. San Diego reported a 150% increase in religious hate crimes from 2024 to 2025, even as race-based and sexual-orientation-based crimes declined.

In 2019 a gunman killed one person at a synagogue about 20 miles away.

Ayloush, CEO of the California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said during a Wednesday webinar that Islamophobia is increasing. Tazheen Nizam, executive director of CAIR San Diego, said repeated requests for meetings with the mayor’s office went unanswered.

A spokesperson for the mayor stated that meetings with Muslim leaders have occurred and that the city continues to work with law enforcement and faith groups on safety measures. The sheriff’s department said it had not received a meeting request from CAIR San Diego but offers extra patrols to places of worship.

Nationally, CAIR recorded 8,683 complaints in 2025, its highest annual total since 1996. Jewish institutions across the U.S. spent $785 million on security last year, according to the Jewish Federation of San Diego.