San Diego mosque suspects’ alleged writings surface online

NBC News reported that investigators were working to authenticate a 75-page document posted online that purportedly detailed the suspects’ motivations, citing three law enforcement officials.

Newsweek has reviewed a document circulating online that purport to be the attackers’ writings but has not independently verified their authenticity or authorship.

The writings, which include separate statements attributed to Clark and Vazquez, include hateful rhetoric toward Muslims, Jews, the LGBTQ+ community, Black people, women and both the political left and right. Both authors also express beliefs that white people are being eliminated.

Writings Praise Tarrant and Hitler

In the document, the authors refer to themselves as the “Sons of Tarrant,” an apparent reference to Brenton Tarrant, the white supremacist who livestreamed his 2019 attack on mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, in which he killed 51 people.

In the statement attributed to Vazquez, the author described having a hatred for women and being part of the incel, or “involuntary celibate,” community. Incels, who are mostly men, believe society unjustly denies them sexual or romantic attention.

The same author also praised Adolf Hitler as “the greatest man to ever walk this Earth” and lauded other mass killers, with Tarrant described as “both of our biggest inspiration” and the blueprint for livestreaming an attack. Video of Monday’s shooting was livestreamed and shared to a gore website where people post videos of violence, CBS News reported.

How the Suspects Met

At Tuesday’s news conference, Remily said investigators believed the suspects met online and discovered they both lived in San Diego.

“But in terms of the how the radicalization occurred, we’re still digging into all that,” he continued.

Clark had been attending high school virtually since 2021 and was due to graduate soon, James Canning, a spokesperson for San Diego Unified School District, previously told Newsweek. He was on Madison High School’s wrestling team during the 2024-2025 school year, Canning said.

Who Were the Victims?

The three men who were killed in the shooting—Amin Abdullah, Mansour Kaziha and Nadir Awad—have been praised for slowing the attackers at the mosque and preventing them from reaching 140 schoolchildren just steps away.

On Tuesday, San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said Abdullah had engaged the suspects “in a gunbattle” and called for a lockdown on his radio.

“His actions without a doubt delayed, distracted and ultimately deterred these two individuals from gaining access to the greater areas of the mosque,” Wahl said.

As the shooters made their way into the lobby, they wounded Abdullah, who kept firing at them, forcing them back outside, where the attackers fatally shot him, Wahl said.

The pair went back inside and searched through rooms that were emptied during the lockdown, Wahl continued. They exited into the parking lot, where they fatally shot Kaziha and Awad. The men drew the attackers farther away from the building and without their actions, there “would have been many more fatalities,” the police chief said.

Imam Taha Hassane said the men were “our brothers in the community. We call them our martyrs and our heroes.”

“If he didn’t do what he did and he sacrificed his life, the two suspects would have, easily, access to every single classroom,” Hassane said of Abdullah. “We’re so proud of him.”

Hassane described Kaziha as a “pillar” of the mosque.

“He is on the top of my list for people to call,” he said. “Anything that goes wrong, he was the handyman. He was the cook. He was the caretaker. He was the storekeeper. He was everything.”

Awad lived across the street from the mosque and was married to a teacher at the school there, Hassane said.

“When he heard the shooting, he rushed to do something, to protect. He joined Mansour Kaziha. They died together,” he said.

Fundraiser Surpasses $2 Million

A fundraiser launched by the mosque to help the families of the three men killed in the attack has raised $2.7 million in donations since Monday’s shooting, nearing its $3 million goal.

“Every dollar raised on this page will go directly to the families of the three men killed,” the page said.

“Funds will cover funeral costs, immediate household needs, children’s education, long-term financial stability for surviving spouses, and trauma counseling for those left behind,” it continued.

The page added: “You do not have to share their faith to stand with their families. You only have to believe that no one should be murdered in their place of worship—and that when a community is attacked, the rest of us answer.”