The Islamic Center of San Diego's lockdown drills were activated when two armed teenagers attacked the mosque; no one inside was injured. Security guard Amin Abdullah exchanged gunfire with the attackers and triggered a lockdown that officials say helped protect up to 140 children. Two men in the parking lot were fatally shot; the attackers are believed to have taken their own lives after fleeing. Investigators are reviewing a 75-page document tied to the suspects that reportedly promotes extremist, anti-Muslim and other hateful views.
San Diego Mosque Lockdown Saves Dozens as Security Guard Confronts Gunmen
Three people were killed, including an armed security guard, after two shooters entered the Islamic Center of San Diego on Monday and opened fire. (Sandy Huffaker / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)(Sandy Huffaker)
SAN DIEGO — The Islamic Center of San Diego's routine lockdown drills were tested Monday when two armed teenagers attacked the mosque, but teachers and students credit the center's preparation — and a security guard's quick actions — with preventing injuries inside.
What happened: When the gunmen arrived, Amin Abdullah, a security guard at the mosque, exchanged fire with the suspects and used his radio to trigger the center's lockdown protocol. Authorities say three people were fatally shot outside the building; no one inside the mosque — including dozens of children attending classes — was injured.
Police tape outside the Islamic Center of San Diego on Tuesday. (Sandy Huffaker / Getty Images)(Sandy Huffaker)
Classroom response: One classroom's teacher's assistant, who asked to be identified only as Imani and works with second- and third-graders, told NBC News that students followed their active-shooter training exactly. "If they didn't, then this could have been a different outcome," she said. Students moved quietly into a corner of the room, stayed low to avoid windows, and ensured doors were closed and locked while gunmen banged on doors trying to gain access.
“We are just so proud of them and their bravery,” Imani said. “They held it together.”
Losses and timeline: San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said the three people killed were outside the mosque. Two men found and shot in the parking lot were identified as Mansour Kaziha and Nader Awad. Officials say the attackers, identified as 18-year-old Caleb Vazquez and 17-year-old Cain Clark, are believed to have taken their own lives after fleeing the scene.
Flowers and candles outside the Islamic Center of San Diego on Tuesday as hundreds gathered at nearby Lindbergh Park for a vigil. (Michael Ho Wai Lee / Anadolu via Getty Images)(Michael Ho Wai Lee)
Investigation: Authorities are examining a roughly 75-page document that investigators believe may have been authored and posted online by the suspects. Law enforcement officials say the material contains anti-Islamic, antisemitic and anti-LGBTQ themes and references accelerationist white-supremacist ideology — a worldview that advocates violence to hasten a racially defined political end.
Reaction: Mosque leaders and community members praised the response of staff and the calm shown by students. Chief Wahl credited Abdullah for having “delayed, distracted and ultimately deterred” the attackers from reaching areas of the mosque where as many as 140 children were present.
The Islamic Center's imam, Taha Hassane, told reporters that the center performs lockdown drills several times each school year and that staff are trained to use the alert system that notifies teachers about active threats. The center and law enforcement continue to investigate motives and circumstances surrounding the attack.
Reported by Morgan Chesky in San Diego and Tim Stelloh in Alameda, California. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com.
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