By Sumayya
A 17-year-old female faces murder charges via aiding and abetting after allegedly broadcasting a livestream of a fatal assault on a San Diego mosque that killed three individuals.
State lawyers claim the girl additionally circulated a manifesto written by the two adolescent shooters who executed the assault against the Islamic Center of San Diego on 18 May.
The adolescent, residing in North Carolina, was taken into custody last week and formally indicted by a grand jury on Monday, per Forsyth County District Attorney Jim O’Neill.
Addressing a press briefing, O’Neill stated: “The prospect of her returning to school, with the weekend nearing, religious days nearing, we remained uncertain of her potential actions.”
The youth currently faces three counts of murder alongside one count of conspiracy. O’Neill clarified that under North Carolina statutes, individuals suspected of aiding and abetting offenses face equal criminal liability as the principal perpetrators.
Officials state the assault was executed by two young males—aged 17 and 18—who fired weapons inside the mosque before committing suicide at the scene.
O’Neill remarked that the duo harbored two goals that day: “First, to murder as many individuals as possible during the event. Next, they desired this slaughter and devastation captured … broadcasted live.”
An estate sentry at the mosque, Amin Abdullah, traded gunfire with the gunmen and triggered a lockdown, helping shield approximately 140 children who remained inside the structure.
Abdullah and two mosque-goers – Mansour Kaziha and Nader Awad, who distracted the focus of the attackers within a parking area – were mortally struck.
San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl previously termed Abdullah’s conduct as “valiant”, stating they had “unquestionably” preserved lives.
According to detectives, the gunmen captured the assault using cameras fixed on GoPro-type helmets. O’Neill stated the duo had also plotted subsequent assaults “at a regional Jewish synagogue and ultimately at a mostly African American secondary school”.
Law enforcement stated the youths possessed a cache of roughly 30 firearms and a crossbow, which investigators report were obtained from one of the gunman’s parents.
The assailants likewise left behind documents expressing racist and antisemitic ideas, alongside references to white supremacist doctrines.
The text, which was examined by the BBC’s US media associate CBS News, highlighted a shooter who killed 51 individuals at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, during 2019, as their inspiration.
