Afghan refugee found guilty of killing Pakistani immigrant in New Mexico

In New Mexico, a jury found an Afghan asylum seeker guilty of murdering a Pakistani immigrant. This occurred during a series of shootings that targeted Muslim men and caused fear among the Islamic community in the state’s largest city during the summer of 2022.

Muhammad Syed, aged 53, has been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of 41-year-old Aftab Hussein. Hussein was discovered deceased in southeast Albuquerque on July 26, 2022, beside a vehicle that had been fired upon, according to police.

Syed is accused of two other killings in 2022. While some national Muslim groups and media connected these killings to sectarian violence, the police and the Islamic community in Albuquerque attributed them to personal disputes, Reuters reported.

“As best we can tell, the motive in this may truly be a random serial killer type of mentality that we will never understand,” prosecuting attorney David Waymire stated after the verdict, as Reuters reported.

The shell casings found at the crime scenes match a gun found in Syed’s home.

All three slain men were originally from Pakistan or Afghanistan and prayed with Syed at Albuquerque’s largest mosque.

Syed has prior criminal offences, including domestic violence. He is set to stand trial for the murder of Aftab Hussein as well.

According to archived data on gun violence, from the beginning of this year until now, more than 3,400 people have been killed and over 6,000 others injured in various armed incidents in the United States, including gun suicides.

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