Five persons, including two suspected gunmen, were killed following a shooting incident at a mosque in San Diego, California, on Monday.
Authorities said the incident occurred at the Islamic Center of San Diego, prompting a massive police response and the evacuation of nearby schools and worshippers.
Police said the two suspects, aged 17 and 19, died from suspected self-inflicted gunshot wounds.
Among those killed was a mosque security guard, whom law enforcement officials described as having played a crucial role in containing the situation.
A San Diego police officer told a press briefing that the guard’s intervention may have prevented further casualties.
“This could have been much worse,” the officer said.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) confirmed that at least one mosque member was also killed in the attack, although it remains unclear whether the victim was the same security guard or another worshipper.
Police said the threat at the Islamic Center had been neutralised.
In a statement posted on X, the San Diego Police Department urged residents to avoid the area while officers secured the scene.
Emergency responders and dozens of police officers were deployed to the mosque complex, while an elementary school located next to the Islamic Center was evacuated alongside adults still inside the premises.
Local media reported that officers also conducted door-to-door searches in the surrounding neighbourhood during the operation.
Imam of the centre, Taha Hassane, said in a video message that all students, staff and teachers at the school within the Islamic Center were safely evacuated.
“We are safe, the entire school is safe. All the kids, staff and teachers are safe and out of the Islamic Center,” he said.
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said he was closely monitoring the situation and receiving regular updates from law enforcement agencies.
Emergency personnel were seen lined up outside the centre shortly after reports of the shooting emerged.
Authorities said investigations into the motive behind the attack are ongoing.
Law enforcement agencies in other parts of the United States, including New York and Virginia, have reportedly increased patrols around mosques as a precautionary measure following the incident.
