APD, FBI investigating potential links between murders of Muslim men in Albuquerque

Thursday, Aug. 4, 2022

Public Urged to Call Crime Stoppers with Tips about Murders

ALBUQUERQUE – APD homicide detectives are investigating three recent murders of Muslim men that may be linked to the same offender. The FBI is assisting in the investigation.

Detectives determined there is a connection between Monday’s murder of Muhammed Afzaal Hussain, 27, and last week’s murder of Aftab Hussein, 41. Both men are Muslim and from Pakistan. They were killed in Southeast Albuquerque, near Central Ave.

As a result of these murders, detectives are now trying to determine whether the Nov. 7, 2021 murder of Mohammad Ahmadi, a Muslim from Afghanistan, is also related to the more recent homicides. Ahmadi was killed outside of a business he and his brother ran at 1401 San Mateo Blvd., N.W.

Anyone with tips about these murders is asked to call Albuquerque Metro Crime Stoppers at 505-843-STOP (7867)

“Our homicide detectives and our investigators currently believe there is a strong possibility that the same individual committed all three of these crimes,” said Kyle Hartsock, deputy commander of APD’s Criminal Investigations Division. “While we won’t go into why we think that, there’s one strong commonality in all of our victims, their race and religion.

“We are taking this very serious and we want the public’s help in identifying this cowardly individual who in all three cases ambushed their victims with no warning, fired shots and killed them,” Hartsock said.

APD Chief Harold Medina has been in touch with Albuquerque’s Muslim community, and investigators met this morning with the leaders of the Islamic Center of New Mexico.

“I want to reassure our friends in the Muslim community that we are making these crimes a top priority for the department,” Chief Medina said. “I appreciate the assistance of the FBI and the District Attorney as we partner to solve these crimes.”

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