Suspect Detained After 4 Muslim Men Are Killed in New Mexico in Slayings Police Believe Are Connected

Mar. 15, 2025

Mohammad Ahmadi, Naeem Hussain, Muhammad A Hussain and Aftab Hussein.Photo: Albuquerque Police Department; Facebook; City of Espanola; Albuquerque Police Department

Update: On Tuesday, Albuquerque Police Chief Ray Schultzannounced on Twitterthat authorities have detained the driver of a vehicle “believed to be involved in a recent murder of a Muslim man in Albuquerque.” According to Schultz, the suspect “is our primary suspect for the murders.”

Police in Albuquerque, N.M., are investigating the ambush-style shooting deaths of four Muslim men — and authorities believe that the killings may be connected to each other.

In a press conference on Saturday, Albuquerque police said that Naeem Hussain was ambushed and shot on Friday in a similar attack as with three previous murders of Muslim men.

“We can not denounce strongly enough what appears to be the targeting of people because of their race and religion,” Michelle Melendez of the APD’s Office of Equity and Inclusion said during the press conference.

In the press conference, the Albuquerque Police say that they are working closely with the FBI to find the person or persons responsible. There are currently no named suspects, and authorities would not say whether the killings would be classified as hate crimes.

The first killing happened on November 7, 2021, when Mohammed Ahmadi, a 62-year-old Muslim man from Afghanistan, was shot and killed outside a business he ran with his brother. Police have no leads in that killing.

On July 26, 41-year-old Aftab Hussein was ambushed and shot to death. Days later, on August 1, police found the body of Muhammad Afzaal Hussain, 27, on a sidewalk. He had been shot to death. Both men were of Pakistani descent. Police say they have “determined that there is a connection” between the two murders.

Detectives with the Albuquerque Police Department havereleased a descriptionof a late-model silver sedan that may be connected to the killings.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

On Saturday, the Albuquerque Police Department created apublic portalwhere anyone can upload any videos or pictures relevant to the case. Also on Saturday, the Council on American-Islamic Relationsannounceda $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.

In a statement, New Mexico governor Michelle Lujan Grisham said that she will send additional State Police to Albuquerque to work with the APD and the FBI.

“I am angered and saddened that this is happening in New Mexico, a place that prides itself on diversity of culture and thought. This is not who we are,” Lujan Grisham said in the statement. “We will not stop in our pursuit of justice for the victims and their families and are bringing every resource to bear to apprehend the killer or killers — and we WILL find them.”

source: people.com