Authorities at the Islamic Center of San Diego confirmed the identities of two men killed in a shooting incident at the mosque on Monday. This came a day after friends and family identified Amin Abdullah as the security guard who was killed while trying to prevent suspected attackers from entering the mosque complex.

Mosque imam Taha Hassane called the victims “our brothers in the community, our martyrs and our heroes.” Two teenage attackers opened fire at the San Diego mosque while police officers were already looking for one of the attackers after his mother alerted the police, concerned that her son was suicidal and had run away. The suspected gunmen were later found dead of apparent self-inflicted gunshot wounds.

Mansour Kaziha, 78, also known as Abu Ezz, was a longtime employee of the mosque who had called the police before he was killed. Originally from Syria, he was married with five adult children. Mosque board chairman Ahmed Shabaik described him as “a cornerstone, a pillar of this masjid.”

Abdullah Awad, 57, lived across the street from the Islamic Center and attended prayers every single day. When he heard gunfire, he ran towards the building, where his wife is a teacher at the school. He tried to help and diverted some people coming to the mosque.

Amin Abdullah, 51, was a father of eight who “played a pivotal role” in preventing the attack from being “much worse.” San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said his actions were heroic. His daughter Hawaa Abdullah described her father as loving and supportive, a “best friend” and a role model.

Abdullah was raised as a Christian and described in a 2019 YouTube video his journey discovering Islam after high school. His friend Shaykh Uthman Ibn Farooq met him shortly after he became a Muslim in the 1990s. They had recently gone on a pilgrimage to Mecca together.

Source: www.aljazeera.com