Two suspected shooters targeted the Islamic Center of San Diego, a structure that houses the largest mosque in this southern California region in the United States and also provides classes for children.
Three people were killed on Monday in an attack on a mosque in San Diego, California, carried out by two teenagers who then committed suicide before the arrival of the police, according to US authorities. The two gunmen stormed the Islamic Center of San Diego late morning, which houses the largest mosque in this metropolis of 1.4 million inhabitants, as well as a school for children.
Their motives remain unclear, but police are currently treating the incident as an Islamophobic attack. According to initial investigation details, “there was clearly a hate speech involved,” explained Mr. Wahl. “There was no specific threat, particularly no specific threat to the Islamic center, it was just a type of general hate speech,” he added.
The shooting led to a heavy deployment of heavily armed police officers. When the first responders arrived on the scene, four minutes after the initial alerts, they found “three dead bodies” at the Islamic center, according to Mr. Wahl. Among these victims, a security guard reportedly “played a crucial role in preventing the situation from being much worse.” The children at the school were evacuated and placed in safety, according to authorities.
Before taking their own lives, the two shooters also allegedly targeted a neighborhood gardener, but failed to injure him. One of the shooters had been reported to the police as a “runaway minor” by his mother, early in the morning, explained Mr. Wahl. She presented her son as “suicidal” and stated that he had disappeared with his car and several weapons.
“As the investigation progresses, San Diego and the United States are in shock. The attack occurred on the first day of Dhou al-hijja, a sacred period for the Muslim community. US President Donald Trump lamented a ‘terrible situation’,” the article further reported.
“The hate has no place in California, and we will not tolerate any act of terror or intimidation targeting religious communities,” reacted California Governor Gavin Newsom.
Gun violence remains a recurring scourge that successive governments have so far failed to stem, with many Americans remaining deeply attached to their firearms. In 2025, nearly 15,000 people, excluding suicides, were killed by firearms, according to Gun Violence Archive.
