Albuquerque Shockwave: A Community Crack‑Jack‑School Moment
When the police pulled in 51‑year‑old Muhammad Syed this past Tuesday, faith‑based folks across New Mexico were left in a rewind‑state: What? Is that our guy? How is that even possible?
What’s the Buzz Getting?
Police say the motive for the alleged murders remains a bit of a mystery—perhaps personal grudges or some intra‑Muslim sectarian drama. Syed, a Sunni, faces accusations for killing:
- Mr. Aftab Hussein (41) – July 26
- Mr. Muhammed Afzaal Hussain (27) – August 1
Both victims and the other two victims, all Afghan/Pakistan‑born, shared the same prayer space in Albuquerque’s Islamic Centre of New Mexico—just like our guy.
Local Fallout: “We are at a loss”
“We’re in complete disbelief. Speechless. Embarrassed to believe we’re talking about one of our own,” said Mula Akbar, an Afghan‑American entrepreneur who helped Syed settle in.
“His hatred of Shi‘ites might have had something to do with it,” Mr. Akbar added—an ominous hint at the possible sect tension.
Next Steps
Syed was arraigned recently and formally charged in court. As the case escalates, the community’s headpins and prayers will keep their fingers crossed. Stay tuned for the next chapter in this questionably-quirky Albuquerque tale.
<img alt="" data-caption="Mr Muhammad Afzaal Hussain was shot dead outside his Albuquerque apartment complex.
PHOTO: Reuters” data-entity-type=”file” data-entity-uuid=”e537bc00-12c2-4f3c-96b5-4620673e8bee” src=”/sites/default/files/inline-images/ac_Afzaal1_110822.jpg”/>
Albuquerque’s Streets Get a Bit Too Much Action
Police on Tuesday rolled out the red carpet for prosecutors as they hash out possible charges against a name that’s suddenly on the front page: Syed, the truck driver whose name now hangs over two deadly tragedies.
Who’s who in the scene?
- Naeem Hussain (25) – a hard‑working trucker who met an untimely end last Friday.
- Mohammad Ahmadi (62) – a grocery‑store owner who was shot on November 7, 2021, outside the shop he ran with his brother in southeast Albuquerque.
- Syed – the suspect. Not sure if he’s got a lawyer yet; his family hasn’t spoken up, but KRQE‑News 13 indicates they still think he’s innocent.
Community Voices at the Mosque
Samia Assed, a human‑rights activist and proud member of Albuquerque’s curling, 4,000‑strong Muslim community, said the city’s Muslim families must step up. “We’ve got work to do to keep the peace we bring from places like Afghanistan and Pakistan,” she told reporters while holding an interfaith memorial at the city’s oldest mosque, the Islamic Centre of New Mexico (ICNM).
She recalled, “Seeing this reminds me of 9/11—I just wanted to hide under a rock.” That’s the kind of raw, almost theatrical reaction that highlighted how the incident rattled the community. “It feels like we’re being stalled 100 years,” she added, underscoring the sense that the specific type of violence I’ve never seen at the mosque had a fallout with her values.
The Mosque—A Non‑Sectarian Oasis
BIOS: It’s a Sunni‑centric place, yet it’s home to worshippers from more than 30 countries. “We’ve always been safe here, no violent vibes ever,” the beast in the 30‑plus‑nation crowd said. That keeps the news from sounding like a local stereotype with a prejudice angle.
Summer of 2020: A Vivid Rewind
It wasn’t all smooth sailing for Syed. Behind the “lawyer” shout‑out, there’s a sliding road of misdemeanors. In February 2020, a video surfaced with him slashing another vehicle’s tires—something that the ICNM‑president, attorney Ahmad Assed, thinks is connected to the family of Ahmadi, the last guy cursed by the gun. That’s the kind of sizzling detail that was hard to miss.
Rumors and Quiet Life of a Truck Driver
Police won’t comment on a whisper that Syed’s fury might have come from a daughter jumping the shackles with a Shi’ite (who knows what that’s about?). Syed, a six‑child truck driver from the Pashtun people, first arrived as a refugee in the U.S. from Kandahar about six years ago. Guess that’s the kind of “human story” that echoes. And that vehicle‑tampering clip? A scream of mischief from a guy who’s made a lifetime out of truck routes.
One “Albuquerque” Comment from the Past
Mr. Akbar, a former U.S. diplomat who helped set up the Afghan Society of New Mexico and knows the region like the back of his hand, said: “We’re in a surreal time trying to make sense of these senseless killings we’ve suffered.” A quote that feels like an antidote to the buzz of a riot: it’s a quiet call for welfare and stability.
