In San Diego on Monday morning, two teenagers, aged 17 and 18, shot and killed three men outside the Islamic Center of San Diego, the largest mosque in the county.The incident occurred while police were responding to a report about a missing, potentially suicidal teenager.During that time, authorities received a call about shots fired at the mosque, where they found the three male victims dead from gunshot wounds.Shortly after, a separate report came in regarding shots fired from a vehicle at a nearby location.Police later discovered the two suspects deceased from self-inflicted gunshot wounds inside a vehicle a few blocks away.

Although authorities have not yet confirmed an official motive, investigators are treating the assault as a suspected hate crime due to the choice of target and writings linked to one of the shooters.The attack took place just days before Eid al-Adha, one of the most important periods on the Islamic calendar.

Imam Taha Hassane, director of the Islamic Center, strongly condemned the attack, stating that places of worship should never be treated as battlegrounds.

California Governor Gavin Newsom expressed horror and emphasized that acts of terror or intimidation against communities of faith will not be tolerated in the state.