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| Photo Credit: AP. |
Police officers Monday arrested an Afghan immigrant with possible links to a series of killings in a New Mexico Muslim community.
Muhammad
Syed, 51, was arrested after traffic stop more than 100 miles (160 kilometers)
from his Albuquerque home, The Associated Press reports. The 51-year-old Afghan
man denied any involvement in the killings.
The suspect
told police that he was so disturbed by the slayings that he was driving to
Houston to find a new home for his family, including his six children, The Associated
Press cited court documents.
Ambush-styled Muslim killings in New Mexico
The ambush-styled
killings were first reported last November with three more between July 26 and
last Friday.
Police determined
that bullet casings found in Syed’s vehicle matched the caliber of the weapons
believed to have been used in two of the killings and that casings found at the
crime scenes were linked to guns found at Syed’s home and in his vehicle, The Associated
Press cited the criminal complaint.
Authorities
said the police received over 200 tips but it was one from the Muslim community
that led them to the Syed family, noting that Syed knew the victims and “an
interpersonal conflict may have led to the shootings.”
Muslim community stunned at Syed's arrest
The Muslim community
in Albuquerque was stunned by Syed’s arrest.
“I wanted a
little closure for the community, as we saw it going out of hand and people
were really panicking. But, I’ll be honest with you, I was shocked,” said Samia
Assed, a community organizer and member of the Islamic Center of New Mexico,
The Associated Press reported. She said she did not want “these heinous crimes
to be in any way, in any capacity used to divide a community.”
When will Sayed be charged over New Mexico Muslim killings?
Syed made
his first court appearance during a virtual arraignment Wednesday. Appearing in
handcuffs, Syed wore a jumpsuit that said “HIGH RISK” on the back. The case was
transferred to state District Court, where a judge will consider a motion by
prosecutors to detain Syed without bond pending trial.
“He is a
very dangerous person, and the only way to protect the community is to hold the
defendant in custody,” prosecutors said in court documents, according to The Associated
Press.
A criminal complaint filed late Tuesday noted that Syed who has lived in the United States for more than 5 years admitted being with the Special Forces in Afghanistan and fought against the Taliban.
Police said they
wanted to search Syed’s Albuquerque home on Monday when they saw him drive away
in a Volkswagen Jetta that investigators believe was used in at least one of
the killings, according to the outlet.
Authorities
said in the criminal complaint that a 9mm handgun was seized from his vehicle,
and they found an AK-47-style rifle and a pistol of the same caliber at the family
home while serving a search warrant. Syed bought the rifle and his son Shaheen
Syed purchased the pistol at a local gun shop.
New Mexico suspect provided fake address when purchasing gun
Shaheen Syed
was charged by federal prosecutors with providing a false Florida address when
he purchased two rifles last year.
Some of the
victims of the strange killings include Mohammad Ahmadi, 62, an immigrant from Afghanistan;
Naeem Hussain, a 25-year-old man from Pakistan, killed last Friday after Muhammad
Afzaal Hussain, 27, and Aftab Hussein, 41, who were also from Pakistan and
members of the same mosque were killed.
Investigators
consider Syed to be the primary suspect in the deaths of Hussain and Ahmadi. No
charges have been filed against the suspect in relation to the slayings.
The police are
yet to unravel the motives of the suspect. Syed was arrested in May 2018 after
a violent fight with his wife and also in 2020 for refusing to pull over for
police after running a traffic light, according to court documents.
Authorities suspect
Syed may be a serial killer owing to his domestic violence records and other
assault cases typical of serial killers.