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Albuquerque Police ChiefĀ Harold MedinaĀ announced the authorities haveĀ arrested the "primary suspect" in the killings of four Muslim men. Officials identified the suspect as 51-year-oldĀ Muhammad Syed.
"We tracked down the vehicle believed to be involved in a recent murder of a Muslim man in Albuquerque. The driver was detained, and he is our primary suspect for the murders,"Ā Medina tweeted.
TheĀ killings took place between November 2021 and AugustĀ of this year. Three of the ambush-style shootings happened within the past two weeks. TheĀ string of murders shocked the local Muslim community, with many people living in fear that they could be the next victim.
Investigators noticed similarities with the recent shootings and an unsolved shooting in November 2021 in whichĀ Mohammad Ahmadi, 62, was shot and killed. The next shooting didn't occur until July 26, 2022, whenĀ Aftab HusseinĀ was fatally shot. Six days later,Ā Muhammad Afzaal HussainĀ was shot and killed. The most recent shooting occurred on August 5, whenĀ Naeem HussainĀ was found with gunshot wounds.
Syed knew the victims, and authorities suggested the motiveĀ may have been the result of a conflictĀ between the men.
He was charged with the murders of Aftab Hussein and Muhammad Afzaal Hussain after investigators connected both murders using bullet casings found at the scenes. Officials said they are working to connect Syed to the other killings and suggested additional charges could be filed as more evidence is discovered.Ā
"This has been a tough week for our community," Medina said in a statement. "But, we all pitched in to solve these crimes and protect a community that felt like it was under attack. We came together like we always do in Albuquerque."