New Mexico police looking for car with 4 Muslim men killed in November

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New Mexico police looking for car with 4 Muslim men killed in November

Authorities said Sunday that they are looking for information about a vehicle of interest in connection with the killing of four Muslim men in Albuquerque, New Mexico since November.

Albuquerque Deputy Police Chief Cecily Barker said law enforcement is looking for a metallic charcoal or dark gray late-model Volkswagen Jetta from central New Mexico.

Before he introduced Barker, Tim Keller said: We have a very strong lead. We have a vehicle of interest. Barker did not say what might tie a car to the case. It appeared that the vehicle was recorded on security video near one or more crime scenes.

A flyer asking for information about the car said it had seen near recent homicides of four Muslim men. The vehicle appears to be a sixth generation Jetta, sold in North America from 2011 to 2018. The model was sold in platinum gray metallic, one of eight factory colors available.

Barker said that the Volkswagen had tinted windows and possibly light body damage.

Keller said that authorities are not sure who owns or operates the sedan or exactly where it is registered. Barker asked anyone with information about a vehicle fitting that description to call Albuquerque Metro Crime Stoppers.

The victims were likely to have been targeted and the attacks may be related to it, according to the police. They haven't said the motive was hate.

The latest fatal shooting took place just before midnight Friday on the edge of a community known as the International District, southeast of downtown, police said.

The victim hasn't been publicly identified. He was Muslim and South Asian, as were the other victims, according to authorities.

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

On July 26th, the killing of Pakistani immigrant Aftab Hussein, 41, and the killing of Muhammad Afzaal Hussain, 27, near the University of New Mexico, were two other homicides.

On Sunday, President Joe Biden expressed displeasure over the possibility that the violence could be driven by the deep dislike of the victims' freedom to worship.

Biden said he was angry and saddened by the killing of four Muslim men in Albuquerque. My administration stands strongly with the Muslim community, and my prayers are with the victims families while we wait for a full investigation. He said these hateful attacks have no place in America. The FBI, the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office, the state police, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and other agencies have joined the investigation, as well as the state police and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Michelle Lujan Grisham said on Saturday she had ordered more state officers to the city to assist.

Keller said at Sunday's news conference that we all condemn the senseless killings.