The killings of four Muslim men in Albuquerque, New Mexico–three in the past two weeks and one just this Friday—have left the city’s Muslim community in a state of terror, reports the New York Times.
Authorities believe the deaths are connected and meant to target the their community. One member who attended the Islamic Center of New Mexico, the same mosque as all four of the victims, said that he may never return, citing a fear of becoming “bait.”
Other members have temporarily left the state to stay with family members in other parts of the country to wait out the investigation.
In general, anti-Muslim hate crimes in the United States have been trending downward, with the number of hate crimes reported against Muslims lower in 2020 than in any year since 9/11, however hate crimes in general rising more than 20 percent in 2021 and increasing another 4.7 percent in the first half of 2022.
The Albuquerque Police, the FBI and the State Police have appealed to the public for help in finding the killer or killers, and recently described a vehicle of interest, a dark-colored, four-door Volkswagen sedan.
They said they are refraining from using the term “hate” in labeling the crimes until a motive could be established.