He told them to close the doors. That was the last thing Amin Abdullah said before two teenage gunmen opened fire outside the Islamic Center of San Diego on Monday morning, May 18, 2026. Abdullah, a security guard and father of eight children, saw something strange in the parking lot and acted fast. He didn’t run inside. He stayed. And because he did, police say, a lot more people are alive today.
The attack happened around 11:40 a.m. at the Islamic Center of San Diego, the largest mosque in San Diego County, located in the Clairemont Mesa East neighborhood, about eight miles north of downtown. Two teenage boys — identified as 17-year-old Cain Clark and 18-year-old Caleb Vazquez, both from San Diego — showed up dressed in camouflage and opened fire outside the mosque. By the time officers arrived, just four minutes after the first 911 call, three men were already dead outside the building. Abdullah was one of them.
The other two victims were also identified by community members. One was a teacher named Mohamed Nader, who heard the gunshots from his apartment directly across the street and ran toward the mosque — not away from it — because his wife worked inside and he needed to know she was safe. The third victim was a staff member who worked in the center’s food store. All three were killed outside the building. No children were harmed. The mosque also houses the Al Rashid School, which serves kids from kindergarten through third grade, and staff managed to evacuate all students and teachers safely.
A friend of Abdullah’s, Abdul Saleem, described the moment Abdullah spotted the attackers. “Whenever he saw the people, he said, ‘There’s something strange. Close the doors,'” Saleem recalled. San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl was direct about what that moment meant. “We do believe the security guard was able to help at least minimize the situation to the front area of the mosque,” Wahl said at a news conference Monday night. “At this point, I think it’s fair to say his actions were heroic. Undoubtedly, he saved lives today.”
Another friend, Sam Hamideh, described Abdullah to CNN as the kind of man who made everyone feel welcome the second they walked through the door. “Every single time you crossed him, he always put a smile on your face, he always brought that energy of everything’s good, having that strong faith in God and always being kind.” The Islamic Center and the San Diego chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations launched a fundraising campaign for Abdullah’s family on LaunchGood, which had already raised nearly $1.4 million by Tuesday. The campaign page described him simply: “He was the first face of that community to anyone who came through the door — and the last line of defense when it mattered most.”
Investigators later found anti-Islamic writings inside the suspects’ vehicle, and hate speech written directly on one of the firearms used in the attack. A suicide note found with the suspects contained references to racial pride. A gas can marked with an “SS” sticker — a symbol tied to Nazi Germany’s elite military units — was also recovered. Police Chief Wahl confirmed the shooting is being investigated as a hate crime, stating plainly, “There was definitely hate rhetoric that was involved.” The FBI is working alongside the San Diego Police Department as the investigation continues. Monday was also the first day of Dhul Hijjah, one of the most sacred months in the Islamic calendar, a detail that has not been lost on the Muslim community.
Both Clark and Vazquez were found dead from self-inflicted gunshot wounds inside a vehicle parked on a road a few blocks from the mosque. Clark had attended James Madison High School virtually and was reportedly set to graduate later that month. His grandfather, David Clark, 78, told reporters, “We’re very sorry for what happened. We know as much as you do. It’s a shock.” Earlier that morning, around 9:42 a.m., Clark’s mother had called 911 to report her son missing — describing him as suicidal, dressed in camouflage, likely with a friend, and having stolen her car and three of her firearms, including a 9mm handgun, a shotgun, and a Mini-14 rifle. Officers were still trying to locate him when the shooting began. The Islamic Center remains closed until further notice as the community grieves. Mosque imam Taha Hassane called the attack “extremely outrageous,” saying, “All the places of worship in our beautiful city should always be protected.” Amin Abdullah leaves behind eight children. He was, by every account, a man who lived to protect others. On Monday, he did exactly that.
