4 Muslim men were killed in Albuquerque. This is what we know about them

After the ambush-style shootings of three Muslim men and the recent murder of a fourth in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the city’s Muslim community is nervous and fearful.

A beloved city worker who had aspirations for a future in politics and a proud new American citizen are among the victims of a series of shootings that police say may be related.

However, the murders of Mohammad Ahmadi, Muhammad Afzaal Hussain, Aftab Hussein and Naeem Hussain have one obvious common thread: They were all South Asian Muslims, according to Albuquerque police.

the three most recent murders It happened in the space of two weeks, with local and national Muslim groups warning residents to remain vigilant. They have also highlighted an unsolved homicide from November 2021.

This is what we know about the lives lost. CNN will continue to update this story with more details as we learn:

Mohammad Zaher Ahmadi, 62 years old

Mohammad Ahmadi was shot to death outside a business he and his brother ran together in November 2021, according to the CNN affiliate. KOAT.

Ahmadi was from Afghanistan, police said.

Mohammed Afzaal Hussain, 27

Muhammad Imtiaz Hussain had been living with his brother, Muhammad Afzaal Hussain, in the same apartment complex for almost five years and had never had any problems.

The brothers came to the US on student visas, studied at the University of New Mexico, and often walked early in the morning or late at night to the university library without fear for their safety. until now.

Afzaal Hussain was shot dead and found on a sidewalk on August 1, his face distorted by gunshot wounds, Imtiaz Hussain said.

“This is not a random killing,” said Imtiaz Hussain, who had to personally witness his brother’s injuries. “This is extreme and extremely motivated hate.”

Afzaal Hussain was loved by all and a student leader excited for a future in politics once he became a US citizen.

“We are very afraid,” said Imtiaz Hussain. “Living in this place is very painful.”

Hussain worked on the planning team for the city of Española. He had studied law and human resource management at the University of Punjab in Pakistan before receiving a master’s and a bachelor’s degree in community and regional planning from the University of New Mexico, according to a press release from Española Mayor John Ramon Vigil.

“Muhammad was soft-spoken and kind, and quick to laugh,” Vigil said in a press release last Wednesday. “He was well respected and loved by his co-workers and members of the community.”

Naeem Hussain, 25

Naeem Hussain, 25, had been a US citizen for less than a month when he became the latest shooting victim encountered by Albuquerque police officers just before midnight Friday.

His brother-in-law, Ehsan Shahalami, identified Hussian to CNN on Sunday, saying he had emigrated as a refugee from Pakistan in 2016, fleeing persecution as a Shia Muslim.

“He had a lot of dreams and he achieved some of them,” Shahalami said. “His others of him were interrupted by this heinous act.”

Hours before his own death, Hussain attended the funeral of two of the recent victims and expressed concern about the shootings, said Tahir Gauba, a spokesman for the Islamic Center of New Mexico.

Hussain worked as a truck driver for several years in Albuquerque, a job he took great pride in, according to Shahalami.

“He wasn’t even a citizen at the time, but he was like, ‘This is our country, these people need us more than any other time,’ so he took extra shifts to keep things going,” Shahalami said.

After becoming a US citizen, Hussain opened his own trucking business, had plans to bring his wife from Pakistan and was interested in buying property in Virginia, according to Shahalami.

“He was the most generous, kind, generous, patient, down-to-earth person I could ever meet,” she said. “He was very hardworking.”

Hussain not only worked to support himself, but shared his earnings with his family back home, Shahalami said.

After the funeral services on Friday, Gauba said, Hussain attended a luncheon at the mosque and approached him to ask if he had any more information about the shootings.

“We (Islamic Center of New Mexico) thought that after the burial of these two young men (on Friday), we would close down and go ahead and let the police investigate,” Gauba said. “Waking up Saturday morning to his (Naeem Hussain) death, the whole community feels helpless. There is a lot of fear.”

About 700 to 800 Muslims attend the Islamic Center of New Mexico on Fridays, Albuquerque’s largest mosque founded in the mid-1970s, according to Gauba.

Aftab Hussein, 41

Aftab Hussein was a Muslim man from Pakistan, police said.

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