Mansour Kaziha, Nader Awad identified as victims in San Diego Mosque attack

Authorities confirmed the identities of two other men killed in an attack on the Islamic Center of San Diego, in the latest apparent hate incident in the United States. Mosque officials on Tuesday said Mansour Kaziha and Nader Awad had been killed when two gunmen attacked the religious site the day before. That came after friends and family identified Amin Abdullah, a security guard credited with thwarting the attackers, as the third man killed.

The alleged gunmen were later found dead of apparent self-inflicted gunshot wounds. Police have been investigating the attack as a hate crime. The chairman of the Mosque’s board of directors, Ahmed Shabaik, said all three men had played a role in responding to the gunmen. Mansour Kaziha, a longtime employee of the mosque, called police before he was killed, Shabaik said. Nader Awad, a member of the mosque who lived across the street, rushed to the facility when he heard gunshots. Kaziha “has been with the mosque since its construction in the 1980s”, Shabaik said. “He does everything in the mosque, all the everyday demands. He also ran the gift shop inside the mosque and was behind all the cooking during Ramadan for iftar and made the suhoor meals.” “He was a cornerstone, a pillar of this masjid,” he said, adding that Kaziha, who was originally from Syria, was married with five adult children. Awad was also a husband and father, he said, adding that “when he heard the shots, he ran into the masjid to help, he also diverted some people who were coming to the masjid at the time.” Speaking at a news conference on Tuesday, Imam Taha Hassane said Awad’s wife is a teacher at the Islamic school and he was a devout member of the community. “He is every single day at the Islamic Center, joining the prayers every single day,” he said. San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said the three men’s actions likely helped to save 140 children inside a school at the address. He said Abdullah engaged in a gunfight with the attackers and followed proper lockdown protocols, slowing their progress.

Key points

• The alleged gunmen were later found dead of apparent self-inflicted gunshot wounds.
• Police have been investigating the attack as a hate crime.
• The chairman of the Mosque’s board of directors, Ahmed Shabaik, said all three men had played a role in responding to the gunmen.
• Mansour Kaziha, a longtime employee of the mosque, called police before he was killed, Shabaik said.
• Nader Awad, a member of the mosque who lived across the street, rushed to the facility when he heard gunshots.