Detectives are still piecing together details concerning the two individuals suspected in the fatal Monday assault at the Islamic Center of San Diego that resulted in the deaths of three individuals, an incident that law enforcement officials suggest was potentially fueled by nihilistic and accelerationist radicalism.
Authorities reported that three men, one of whom served as a security officer, perished in Monday’s attack, with investigators indicating they are presently treating the event as a bias-motivated crime.
According to police, the two individuals, ages 17 and 18, were discovered deceased inside a vehicle nearby. Numerous sources informed ABC News that authorities are examining Cain Clark and Caleb Vazquez, as the alleged perpetrators in the attack.
Sources have indicated to ABC News that authorities are scrutinizing a video that appears to have been posted online by one of the suspects in Monday's violence, which seems to show a livestream of both the assault and its aftermath.
Nicole Witherow prays beside flowers placed outside of the Islamic Center of San Diego, the day after a shooting, Tuesday, May 19, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)The Associated Press
Sources revealed that a video uploaded to an online graphic content website supposedly depicts the suspects approaching the center and subsequently initiating gunfire, with the individual believed to be Clark donning camouflage attire and protective body armor.
Sources stated that a subsequent segment of the video seemingly portrays the individual thought to be Clark reaching into the vehicle’s rear seating area and then shooting Vazquez, followed by loading another round and ending his own life.
Law enforcement personnel conveyed that the video and the items discovered alongside the suspects’ bodies seemed to suggest connections with extremist philosophies.
According to sources, a Sonnenrad insignia, representative of a neo-Nazi symbol, and what specialists consider a likely emblem for a militant accelerationist organization, are both noticeable on the protective gear worn by the person believed to be Clark. In addition, writings are visible on a firearm, featuring drawings of SS bolts and neo-Nazi symbols, sources mentioned.
Sources reported that additional symbols linked to neo-Nazism and militant accelerationism were located at the location of the attack, including a flag displaying a Sonnenrad and a gas can with SS bolts sketched on it.
Sources informed ABC News that investigators are analyzing a substantial document spreading online, consisting of two hateful essays totaling 75 pages, supposedly penned by the suspected assailants.
Sources indicated that both essays advocate for white nationalism and articulate animosity toward immigrants, racial minorities, and others, as well as resentment towards women who favor taller men. Vazquez allegedly describes himself as an "accelerationist" in his writing, mirroring nihilistic expressions, sources noted.
Sources stated that the precise time of the essays’ creation remains uncertain — the section designated for identifying the "targets" is left unfilled.
Sources also informed ABC News that social media accounts presumed to be connected to Clark reflect possible ties to nihilistic violent extremist ideology.
Sources revealed that earlier in the year, police in Chula Vista, California, engaged with Vazquez after an acquaintance expressed worries regarding his preoccupation with extremist ideology and mass-casualty incidents, although the concerns at that juncture did not reach the criteria for effecting an arrest.
A representative from the Chula Vista Police Department communicated to ABC News on Tuesday that the department "extends its deepest sympathies to everyone impacted by this tragedy" but refrained from responding to inquiries regarding the prior encounter.
Undated photo of Cain Clark, a suspect in shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego on May 18, 2026.Madison Warhawks Wrestling/Instagram
According to Mark Remily, the special agent heading the FBI's San Diego Field Office, the suspects connected online and discovered that they both resided in the San Diego area. Remily stated during a press briefing on Tuesday that they appear to have become radicalized via the internet and held a "broad animosity" towards a diverse range of races and religions.
"They didn’t discriminate on who they hated," Remily remarked.
Remily noted that investigators have retrieved writings that outline "religious and racial beliefs of how the world they envision should look." He mentioned that authorities are actively analyzing their writings to ascertain the catalysts behind the attack and strategies for preventing similar incidents in the future, as well as scrutinizing "how the radicalization occurred."
Authorities cautioned that it’s premature in the investigation to definitively conclude if the mosque was the specific target.
"We’re still looking through electronics to give us the answers, but again, what I can say is they definitely had a broad hatred towards a lot of folks," Remily stated.
San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl reported that law enforcement is actively striving to ascertain the scope of the "threat assessment," when questioned about the possibility that the Islamic center's educational institutions were the intended objective.
Wahl announced on Tuesday that police are investigating the means by which the suspects acquired firearms employed in the attack. He disclosed that the guns belonged to the parents of one of the suspects.
Remily stated that during searches of two residences connected to the suspects, authorities confiscated "numerous pistols, rifles, shotguns, ammunition, tactical gear, as well as electronics."
"So far in this investigation, we’ve seized over 30 guns and a crossbow," he revealed.
Police indicated that the assault was reported shortly before midday on Monday.
Undated photos of L-R: Mansour Kaziha, Amin Abdullah and Nadir Awad, the victims of the shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego on May 18, 2026.San Diego Police Dept.
Wahl conveyed that a video analysis demonstrates that the suspects engaged in a "gun battle" with the security officer, who was killed in the vicinity of the mosque.
He said that the security officer had succeeded in initiating a "lockdown procedure," which, in conjunction with the sound of gunfire, enabled those within the main common areas of the mosque to seek refuge. He stated that approximately 140 children were present inside at that moment.
The police chief recounted that the suspects moved throughout the building, room after room, but encountered nobody. At one juncture, they were observed looking out a window, with one gesturing toward the window, before exiting through a neighboring door, at which point they "immediately engaged" the two other victims outside in the parking area.
Amin Abdullah, the slain security guard, has been celebrated as a hero.
Wahl remarked on Tuesday that "His actions, without a doubt, delayed, distracted and ultimately deterred these two individuals from gaining access to the greater areas of the mosque where as many as 140 kids were within 15 feet of these suspects."
Attendees react as they listen to a speech during a vigil, the day after a shooting, outside of the Islamic Center of San Diego, Tuesday, May 19, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)The Associated Press
Wahl stated that the two additional victims killed in the assault — identified by authorities as Mansour Kaziha and Nadir Awad — "drew the attention" of the suspects into a parking zone "where they were unfortunately unable to escape." Wahl conveyed that they were cornered by the suspects and killed.
Police are probing a possible rationale, but have stated that the attack is currently being regarded as a hate crime.
During a Monday press conference, Wahl conveyed that "There was definitely hate rhetoric that was involved."
Sources informed ABC News that anti-Islamic writings were discovered inside the vehicle with the two teenagers.
According to Wahl, San Diego police received a dispatch concerning the 17-year-old suspect, regarding a runaway juvenile, roughly two hours preceding the assault at the mosque. He indicated that the teen’s mother communicated that "several of her weapons" and her vehicle were missing. Wahl also added that the mother found a note, the contents of which the police chief opted not to disclose.
A woman lays flowers outside the Islamic Centre of San Diego, the morning following a shooting, in San Diego, May 19, 2026.Mike Blake/Reuters
Wahl reported that the mother informed the police that her son was accompanied by another individual and that they were both "dressed in camo."
He stated that officers were endeavoring to locate the vehicle and had dispatched police to a shopping center and a school affiliated with one of the teenagers, when the assault at the mosque was reported.
The Islamic Center of San Diego asserts that it is the largest mosque in San Diego County.
Taha Hassan, Imam and Director of Islamic Center of San Diego, remarked on the center at a news conference that "We have never experienced a tragedy like this before."
Hassan included, "It is extremely outrageous to target a place of worship. Our Islamic center is a place of worship. People come to the Islamic center to pray, to celebrate, to learn, not only Muslims, but we have people from all walks of life."
Hassan stated that "The religious intolerance and the hate, unfortunately, that exists in our nation is unprecedented."
Tazheen Nizam, the executive director of the San Diego branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, conveyed in a statement, "We strongly condemn this horrifying act of violence. Our thoughts are with everyone impacted by this attack. No one should ever fear for their safety while attending prayers or studying at an elementary school."
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria communicated to ABC News that "we immediately have increased patrols around religious sites, both our Muslim, Jewish and other faith communities across the city. And I imagine we’ll maintain that posture for some time."
Sourse: abcnews.go.com