New Mexico police detain primary suspect in recent murders of Muslim men

New Mexico police detained man they called their primary suspect in the murders of several Muslim men in Albuquerque, officials said Tuesday.

According to the statement by Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina, we found a vehicle believed to be involved in a recent murder of a Muslim man in Albuquerque. The driver was arrested and he is our primary suspect in the murders. Four Muslim men of South Asian descent have been killed since November, raising fears in the Albuquerque community.

Mayor Tim Keller thanked local, state and federal law enforcement for their work on this case shortly after Medina made a statement.

Keller said in a statement that they hope that their swift action brings an increased sense of safety for so many who are experiencing fear from the recent shootings.

The police issued an alert Sunday for a vehicle of interest, a gray or silver Volkswagen Jetta.

The latest fatal shooting happened just before midnight Friday on the edge of a community known as the International District, southeast of downtown, police said. Naem Hussain was identified as the victim.

The first attack that could be linked to the violence happened on Nov. 7. Mohammad Ahmadi, 62, was found in a parking lot behind the Halal meat business he ran with his brother.

After the police announced this latest development, Sharief Hadi, Ahmadi's brother, said he was still waiting to hear from local authorities about a possible arrest.

He told NBC News that I am still waiting for my hope because I don't have any. I want to make sure 100% is achieved. Ehsan Shahalami, the brother-in-law of the 25-year-old victim Naem Hussain, said he hopes that this suspect is the only person responsible for the bloodshed.

Shahalami, 37, who lives in Virginia, said we are hopeful that this is going to be the end of this murder spree. I hope that it's just one person, not multiple people involved. On July 26th, the killing of Pakistani immigrant Aftab Hussein, 41, and killing Muhammad Afzaal Hussain, 27, near the University of New Mexico, were the two other homicides.

This is a developing story, please refresh here for updates.