{"id":1977,"date":"2026-05-20T00:44:54","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T00:44:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/2026\/05\/20\/teenagers-behind-mass-shooting-in-san-diego-rushed-at-mosque-fully-armored\/"},"modified":"2026-05-20T00:44:54","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T00:44:54","slug":"teenagers-behind-mass-shooting-in-san-diego-rushed-at-mosque-fully-armored","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/?p=1977","title":{"rendered":"Teenagers behind mass shooting in San Diego rushed at mosque \u2018fully armored\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"border-color:var(--article-border);background-color:var(--article-inner-background)\" class=\"dcr-wqti5a\">\n<div class=\"dcr-2zxs1v\">\n<div style=\"--grid-area:media\" data-gu-name=\"media\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tr9ye5\">\n<figure id=\"7e165809-3492-445c-8b32-dc259d9b64ce\" class=\"dcr-142siv7\">\n<div id=\"img-1\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A person kneels on a sidewalk near bouquets of flowers placed beside a tree\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/e39fc997742c007062ad28ae44cc38fec5c96dba\/0_0_4510_3007\/master\/4510.jpg?width=465&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"465\" height=\"310.03436807095346\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><span class=\"dcr-v822l1\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-gup2gr\">\n<div class=\"dcr-fntg6k\"><label for=\"the-checkbox\" class=\"dcr-1xgwz8b\"><\/label> <\/p>\n<div id=\"the-caption\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1os51wo\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">The Islamic Center of San Diego the day after a mass shooting there, on 19 May in San Diego.<\/span> Photograph: Jae C Hong\/AP<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><a href=\"#img-1\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"7e165809-3492-445c-8b32-dc259d9b64ce\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"dcr-n4pnam\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1hdkqum\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">The Islamic Center of San Diego the day after a mass shooting there, on 19 May in San Diego.<\/span> Photograph: Jae C Hong\/AP<\/figcaption><\/span><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:border\" data-gu-name=\"border\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:headline\" data-gu-name=\"headline\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1aqe7zu\">\n<h1 class=\"dcr-1k1a1x\">Teenagers behind mass shooting in San Diego rushed at mosque \u2018fully armored\u2019<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:standfirst\" data-gu-name=\"standfirst\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-15in7js\">\n<p>The firearms the shooters, aged 17 and 18, used in the fatal rampage were registered to one of their parents<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:body\" data-gu-name=\"body\" class=\"dcr-kn9unn\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1a4fred\">\n<div id=\"maincontent\" class=\"dcr-ydnaza\">\n<div class=\"article-body-commercial-selector article-body-viewer-selector dcr-1c9t5u6\">\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The two teenage assailants responsible for a mass shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/california\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">California<\/a>, rushed toward the mosque \u201cfully armored\u201d with handguns and rifles, authorities said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">A security guard shot and struck one of the shooters, according to members of the mosque \u2013 but the attacker continued charging. The guard also alerted administrators of the school at the Islamic Center, telling them to go into lockdown, before he was shot and killed. \u201cIf it was not for him \u2026 The carnage would be much worse,\u201d said imam Taha Hassane. \u201cHe sacrificed his life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Two other victims had been on the phone, calling the police, when they were killed, according to a witness who shared what he saw in an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DYh1fcOP7ny\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Instagram post<\/a> from the Islamic Center. Police rushed to the scene and ultimately found the suspected shooters near the masjid, dead from self-inflicted gunshot wounds.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The shooters had met and been radicalized online, according to the FBI. At a news conference on Tuesday, Mark Remily, the special agent in charge of the FBI San Diego office, said investigators uncovered a \u201cmanifesto\u201d that expressed a \u201cbroad hatred\u201d toward various races and religions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Investigators also found 30 firearms and a crossbow after searching two residences in connection with the investigation. Remily said agents also seized tactical gear, ammunition and electronics.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cWe also identified writings and various ideologies outlining religious and racial beliefs of how the world they envisioned should look,\u201d he said. \u201cThese subjects did not discriminate on who they hated.\u201d He added that it was still too early in the investigation to say whether the Islamic Center was the sole or specific target of the shooters.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">On Monday, the mother of one of the shooters had alerted police soon before the shooting occurred that her son, a 17-year-old high school student, was suicidal and potentially armed. Officers had been looking for the 17-year-old and his 18-year-old friend in a neighborhood near the mosque as they opened fire.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Remily said that the firearms the shooters used were registered to one of their parents. \u201cExactly how they \u2026 were able to obtain them, is still under investigation,\u201d he said. The FBI has opened a tip line and is still seeking more information about the shooters and their motives.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"31db2b38-a284-4459-a527-0773f219b8e4\" data-spacefinder-role=\"richLink\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-47fhrn\">\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" data-link-name=\"rich-link-8 | 8\" data-component=\"rich-link\" data-name=\"placeholder\" class=\"dcr-1kyw41h\">\n<div data-format-theme=\"5\" data-format-design=\"0\" data-format-display=\"0\" class=\"dcr-1bg5532\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/19\/san-diego-mosque-shooting-reaction\" class=\"dcr-1m887w9\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-ut4tvs\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1h5b6rb\">\n<div class=\"dcr-169d7yv\">\u2018It doesn\u2019t feel real\u2019: witnesses describe shock and disbelief after San Diego mosque attack<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-eurq8n\">\n<div class=\"dcr-fkf7vq\">Read more<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">One of them had been enrolled in a virtual learning academy at the San Diego unified school district, according to a spokesperson for the district, and had been set to graduate high school this year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">During the shooting, five public schools near the Islamic Center were placed on lockdown. Hassane, the imam and director of the Islamic Center, said that center also practices active-shooter lockdown drills several times a year, which he said undoubtedly protected people.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cIt worked, you know,\u201d he said. \u201cThe lives of the kids were saved. The lives of everyone in the school were saved, and we\u2019re so grateful for that.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" class=\"dcr-qxqnsy\"><span class=\"dcr-1rq3vad\">Explore more on these topics<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-1dzx48f\">\n<ul class=\"dcr-1rrvs2w\">\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/san-diego-mosque-shooting\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">San Diego mosque shooting<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/world\/gun-crime\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Gun crime<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/california\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">California<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/west-coast\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">West Coast<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/us-crime\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">US crime<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/tone\/news\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">news<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-nu129i\"><a href=\"mailto:?subject=Teenagers%20behind%20mass%20shooting%20in%20San%20Diego%20rushed%20at%20mosque%20%E2%80%98fully%20armored%E2%80%99&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/19\/san-diego-mosque-shooting?CMP=share_btn_url\" class=\"dcr-125qj9d\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-zhx6xs\"><a data-link-name=\"meta-syndication-article\" href=\"https:\/\/syndication.theguardian.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fus-news%2F2026%2Fmay%2F19%2Fsan-diego-mosque-shooting&amp;type=article&amp;internalpagecode=us-news\/2026\/may\/19\/san-diego-mosque-shooting\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"Reuse this content\" class=\"dcr-14rjinq\">Reuse this content<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:right-column\" data-gu-name=\"right-column\" class=\"dcr-1h2hraq\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tn16h9\">\n<section class=\"dcr-1hko8ef\"><\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Islamic Center of San Diego the day after a mass shooting there, on 19 May in San<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":1979,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1977","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1977","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1977"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1977\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1979"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1977"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1977"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1977"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}