Afghan man charged over killing of two Muslim men in Albuquerque, prime suspect in death of two others

Muhammed Syed, 51, was charged in the killings of two men after bullet casings found at the crime scenes were linked to a gun at his home

Syed is the prime suspect in the death of two other men

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Muhammad Syed has been arrested and charged with the murders of two Muslim men in Albuquerque. The killings had sent shock waves through the Muslim population. Photo by Albuquerque Police Department/AFP

Published: 9:52am, 10 Aug 2022Updated: 12:49pm, 10 Aug 2022

Police announced a breakthrough on Tuesday in the killings of four Muslim men in Albuquerque, New Mexico, charging a man from Afghanistan – himself a Muslim – with two of the slayings and identifying him as a prime suspect in the other killings that put the entire community on edge.

Muhammad Syed, 51, was taken into custody a day earlier after a traffic stop more than 100 miles away, authorities said.

Three of the four ambush shootings happened in the last two weeks. Police Chief Harold Medina said it was not clear yet whether the deaths should be classified as hate crimes or serial killings or both.

Investigators received a tip from the city’s Muslim community that pointed toward Syed, who has lived in the US for about five years, police said.

Police were looking into possible motives, including an unspecified “interpersonal conflict.”

When asked specifically if Syed, a Sunni Muslim, was angry that his daughter married a Shiite Muslim, Deputy Police Commander Kyle Hartsock did not respond directly. He said “motives are still being explored fully to understand what they are.”