Suspect in killings of four Muslims denies involvement
A ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — fear of attacks that had rippled through Muslim communities nationwide after the fatal shootings of four men in Albuquerque, New Mexico, gave way to shock and sadness when it turned out the suspect in the killings was himself a Muslim.
Muhammad Syed, 51, of Albuquerque, was arrested Monday after a traffic stop more than 100 miles from his Albuquerque home. The Afghan immigrant denied any connection to the crimes that shook the city and its small Muslim community.
In court documents, in fact, he told police that he was so unnerved by the slayings that he was driving to Houston to find a new home for his family.
But investigators say they have ample evidence to prove his guilt, though they have yet to uncover the motive. The first ambushstyle shooting happened in November and was followed by three more between July 26 and Aug. 5.
In the criminal complaint, 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 his home and in his vehicle.
Of the over 200 tips police received, it was one from the Muslim community that led them to the Syed family, authorities said, noting that he knew the victims and “an interpersonal conflict may have led to the shootings.”
Prosecutors on Wednesday filed a motion 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,” they said.
Authorities seized a 9 mm handgun from his vehicle and found an AK-47-style rifle and a pistol of the same caliber at the family home while serving a search warrant, according to court documents, which indicate the weapons were legally purchased last month. Syed bought the rifle, and his son Shaheen Syed purchased the pistol, at a local gun shop.
On Wednesday, Shaheen Syed was charged by federal prosecutors with providing a false Florida address when he bought two rifles last year. He has denied any role in the killings and has not been charged in connection with them.
Investigators consider Syed to be the primary suspect in the deaths of Naeem Hussain and Ahmadi but have not yet filed charges in those cases.