Over 2,000 gather in San Diego to mourn three men killed in mosque attack

More than 2,000 people gathered in San Diego to mourn a security guard and two other men murdered while trying to stop an attack at the city’s largest mosque. Police officers in uniform attended an Islamic funeral prayer, or Janazah, with mourners chanting in Arabic and raising their hands. The bodies of 51-year-old Amin Abdullah, 78-year-old Mansour Kaziha, and 57-year-old Nadir Awad lay beneath cloth under a white canopy. Many attendees remembered the three men as heroes for delaying and distracting two teenage suspects who opened fire during school hours. The men were set to be buried together later at a nearby cemetery. The police chief said the attack was being considered a hate crime until proven otherwise, and police indicated the victims’ actions likely prevented further bloodshed.

"More than 2,000 people have gathered in a park in San Diego, California, to mourn a security guard and two other men murdered as they tried to stop this week's attack on the city's largest mosque. Mourners, including police officers in uniform, stood in rows for the Islamic funeral prayer, or Janazah, on Thursday. The bodies of the three men 51-year-old Amin Abdullah, 78-year-old Mansour Kaziha and 57-year-old Nadir Awad lay beneath cloth, underneath a white canopy."

"Many remembered the three men as heroes for delaying and distracting the two teenage suspects who opened fire at the Islamic Center of San Diego on Monday, during school hours. They are set to be buried alongside one another later in the day at a nearby cemetery. Today is a message to everyone: Our community got hurt, but our community is standing strong and firm, said the centre's imam, Taha Hassane."

"He noted that people had flown in from across the United States to attend the ceremony, some coming from as far away as the East Coast. One mourner broke down in tears as she talked about Monday's shooting, which has put Muslims across the United States on edge during a time of rising Islamophobia. Today is just a really difficult day for our entire community, said the mourner, who asked not to be named."

"Monday's attack is currently under investigation as a targeted attack. We are considering this a hate crime until it's not, San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said shortly after the shooting. Police have indicated that the three victims' actions likely prevented further bloodshed."

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