51-year-old Afghan man charged with murdering Muslim men in New Mexico

 Wednesday, August 10, 2022 – A man has been detained and charged with murdering two Muslim men in Albuquerque, New Mexico, US police has announced.

Four Muslim men have been killed in the city since November, and authorities believe the suspect may eventually be charged in the other two murders.

Muhammed Syed, 51, from Afghanistan was identified as the “primary suspect in the recent murders of Muslim men,” police said Tuesday, August 9.

Police charged him with murdering Aftab Hussein on July 26, and Muhammad Afzaal Hussian on Aug. 1. Detectives connected the two cases using bullet casings found at the two scenes.

They are still investigating Syed’s possible involvement in the murders of Naeem Hussain on Aug. 5 and Mohammed Zaher Ahmadi on Nov. 7.

A tip from the public led authorities to Syed. When they went to search his Albuquerque home, they say he fled in a Volkswagen car, which police had already told the public they were looking for in connection to the murders.

Authorities also searched his house, where they say they found multiple firearms, including the one believed to have been used in the two murders he has been charged for.

“We tracked down the vehicle believed to be involved in a recent murder of a Muslim man in Albuquerque,” Police Chief Harold Medina wrote on Twitter “The driver was detained and he is our primary suspect for the murders.”