ALBUQUERK – Accused Afghan of killing two muslims men in Albuquerque had twice was arrested on allegations of domestic violence and was questioned by the police after several more quarrels, including fight with man it daughter dated, according to police reports released on Wednesday.
In the end, the prosecutor’s office fired both of rector criminal cases against male, Muhammad Syed, 51 who now leading suspect in shooting of four muslim men of them over in past a few days that shocked a united Muslim community in Albuquerque.
Mr Syed, who is also Muslim, was arrested on Monday by the cops who stopped him car about 100 miles from the Texas border. AT criminal complaint, the police officer wrote that Mr. Syed said he was going to Houston to find new place for his family to live because things were”bad” in Albuquerque, and he cited recent shootings.
The police said they found pistol in in car and a spent cartridge case between the windshield and the dashboard. Tests on pistol, spent cartridge case and cartridge cases that were found on the stage of a killing on August 1 were all supposed match, the police wrote in a complaint.
AT arrest of Mr. Syed was quickly followed on on Wednesday arrest of one of his sons, Shaheen Syed, whom the federal prosecutors charged with lies about where he lived when he bought two rifles last year.
Police records obtained by The New York Times indicate that Mr. Syed had series of arguments with family members in recent years, which sometimes turned into physical ones.
AT one example, in 2017, he refused to let it daughter Leave house attend college classes unaccompanied one of her brothers, according to the officer’s report, which stated that daughter she seemed to have a swelling around her eye, but she asked the police not to do it. arrest her father.
Mr. Syed was arrested in less than year later, when his wife told the police that he grabbed her hair while she was driving, and later thrown her to the ground in waiting hall of human services office. Then, in In December 2018, Mr. Syed was visited by the police. home find him son with a cut on in back of his head. AT son said it father hit him and him mother with spoon during a quarrel.
In both cases, the spokeswoman said for District Attorney’s office, the cases were dismissed because the victims did not want make accusations.
Murders of Muslim men in Albuquerque
At least two other domestic fights involved a man who saw Mr Syed’s daughter Lubna Syed, now 25, according to police.
In December 2017, a few months after fight with his daughter Mr. Syed went to the emergency room with a cut on his chest. He told the police that he had been hit by a man who daughter saw her while parents thought she was in work. He said that he and his wife followed him daughter out of in house and ran into a man leading to fight.
Two months later, the same person reported to the police that Mr. Syed had threatened kill him during a fight over his relationship with mr syed daughter but male declined to press charges, according to the police report on the incident. Documents show that the man and Lubna Sayed purchased home together in Albuquerque in November 2021.
Mr. Syed home hidden in a patch of one-story houses near the Albuquerque airport. Three women wearing head scarves opened the door to his house, opening the living room wall coated with afghan flag. One of in women, who it turned out in she is 20 years old family was not ready to talk about the accusations.
In a published complaint on On Wednesday, police cited ballistic evidence as part of the of which led them to arrest Mr. Syed on suspicion of carrier out August 1 killing of Muhammad Afzaal Hussain, 27-year- the old city planner, and July 26 killing of Aftab Hussein, 41 years old who worked in a cafe. Police also said they consider Mr. Syed the “most likely” suspect in November 2021 killing of Mohammad Ahmadi, 62, and what of 25-year-old Naim Hussein last Friday.
Mr Syed Appeared Before Judge Via Video Broadcast on Wednesday afternoon, with his hands are handcuffed and chained to his ankles. He was wearing orange sandals and red jumpsuit with words “high risk” on in back.
Through a Pashto interpreter, Mr. Syed asked: for permission to speak for himself.” But his lawyer asked the court not to accept any evidence from her client, and the judge urged Mr. Syed to follow his lawyer’s advice and not speak.
“All that you guys I think it’s right sounds goodsaid Mr. Syed.
Judge Renee Torres said she is referring the case to the district court, where a decision will be made. made about whether to set pledge.
Mr. Syed has arrived in USA about six years ago and knew the latest victim, Naeem Hussain, from 2016, according to a law enforcement complaint that did not describe the men’s relationship further.
Mr Hussein, who It was family roots in Afghanistan and Pakistan, worked as a social worker for Lutheran Family Services, which helped relocate many Afghan families. in Albuquerque before starting his own trucking company.
Mr. Hussein was shot dead in parking space of resettlement agency, hours after he attended the funeral for two victims who Mr. Syed was charged with with killing. Farid Sharifi, program director in the agency declined say whether group helped relocate Mr. Syed family.
New Mexico home about 1500 Afghans, community increased significantly after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan last year. About 500 of these are evacuees brought to the USA after the fall of Kabul to the Taliban in August 2021.
Mr. Syed told the police he fought against Taliban in Afghanistan with this country special forces, according to the complaint.
Mr. Sharifi, representative of the resettlement agency program director said that community ‘was really shocked’ by the recent murders and his agency being flooded with calls from worried evacuees.
“Refugees have gone through terrible events and were here trying to lay down their lives back together,” said Mr Sharifi, 40. who immigrated to the United States from Afghanistan as a child.
After Mr. Syed was detained, the police searched him home early on Tuesday morning and found two guns, one in Mr. Syed’s room and one in room of Shahin Syed, son who was later accused with lie purchase rifles. AT son said he bought a gun with his father in July, when father also purchased the rifle, according to the complaint. The police said elder Mr. Syed bought a scope for his rifle on August 1.
The police said both of victims blamed by Mohammed Syed of killing were shot more than once. BUT detective wrote in complaint that the shooter who killed Aftab Hussein seemed to be waiting in bushes near where Mr. Hussein parked his car and then shot Mr. Hussain as he stepped outside. Several shells were found on the stage.
Six days later, police said Muhammad Afzaal Hussain was on video call with a friend around 8:35 pm when he told a friend that he had to go get another one call. Mr. Hussain was shot dead about 40 minutes later and was found on sidewalk about a block from a nearby park. The police said they found seven 9mm shell casings at the scene that were later identified as probable match to the gun in Mr. Syed car and seven shell casings of another type that matched those found on the stage of Mr Hussein killing.
Muhammad Afzaal Hussain older brother Muhammad Imtiaz Hussain, said in interview he decided against sends it to brotherx body to family members in Pakistan will be buried because its brother so many were shot times that he was unrecognizable. He said the killer seemed to be “wanted to finish his – as many as nine yards”.
Neelam Bora made a report. Kitty Bennett contributed research.
