FBI Probes Suspects' Manifesto After San Diego Mosque Attack

Investigators say they're poring over a 75-page online document that may spell out why two San Diego teenagers allegedly opened fire at a mosque, killing three people before taking their own lives, NBC News reports. Three senior law enforcement officials say the document appears to contain separate sections written by the suspects, identified as 18-year-old Caleb Vazquez and 17-year-old Cain Clark. The text, packed with extremist material, promotes a white supremacist "accelerationist" ideology that advocates violence to hasten the creation of a white-only state, according to the officials. It includes Nazi imagery, virulent misogyny, and slurs aimed at Black people and other minorities, as well as attacks on Muslims, Jews, and LGBTQIA+ people.

The writers also rail against President Trump and describe themselves as "anti-MAGA," while naming Christchurch mosque gunman Brenton Tarrant—who killed 51 people in New Zealand in 2019—as one of their "heroes." At a Tuesday briefing, FBI special agent in charge Mark Remily confirmed that writings linked to the suspects had surfaced online. "We are dedicating every resource the FBI has to conduct a thorough analysis of that manifesto," he said, adding that the teens appeared to have been "radicalized online" and harbored animosity toward multiple groups. "They didn't discriminate on who they hated," he noted. He said they met online, KOMO reports. Meanwhile, the search warrants that uncovered the manifesto also found 30 guns, a crossbow, ammo, and tactical gear, the Times of San Diego reports.

Authorities say Vazquez and Clark died of self-inflicted gunshot wounds after Monday's rampage at the Islamic Center of San Diego, the county's largest mosque, located in the Clairemont neighborhood. The shooting came on the first day of Dhul Hijjah, one of the holiest months in the Islamic calendar. Officials say the death toll would almost certainly have been higher without the actions of security guard Amin Abdullah, who was killed after exchanging gunfire with the attackers and ordering children and staff to hide inside. Police Chief Scott Wahl said Abdullah and two other adult male victims, Mansour Kaziha and Nader Awad, diverted the gunmen's attention, and they were unable to find any of the 140 kids hiding inside. Surveillance video shows the assailants shooting Kaziha and Awad, then fleeing as a large police response converged on the site.