Shooting at San Diego mosque leaves five dead, including two suspects

The attack is being investigated by police as a possible hate crime.

Police stage at the scene of a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego Monday, May 18, 2026, in San Diego. (Photo: AP/Gregory Bull)

19 May 2026 05:58AM

(Updated: 19 May 2026 06:16AM)

SAN DIEGO: Two teenage gunmen opened fire on Monday (May 19) at the Islamic Center of San Diego in California, killing three men outside the mosque, one of them a security guard, before the two suspects were found dead, apparently from self-inflicted gunshot wounds, police said.All of the children who were attending a day school that is part of the mosque complex - the largest in San Diego county - were accounted for and safe after the shooting, which erupted shortly before 12 noon PDT (7pm GMT, 3am Singapore time), according to San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl.Wahl said the FBI was called in to assist in the investigation of the incident, which the police chief said authorities were treating as a hate crime.Scores of law enforcement officers called to the Islamic Center encountered the bodies of three men shot dead outside the building, including a security guard who Wahl credited with likely having helped prevent further bloodshed.