PICTURED: Afghan man arrested on suspicion of murdering four fellow Muslims in Albuquerque 'in a fury after his Sunni daughter married a Shiite man': Muhammad Syed, 51, had previously faced domestic violence allegations
- A suspect who moved to the U.S. from Afghanistan has been arrested in the serial killing of four Muslim men in Albuquerque over the past nine months
- Ahmad Assed, president of the city's largest mosque, said police told him that the suspect is a Sunni Muslim angered by his daughter marrying a Shiite Muslim
- Muhammad Syed, 51, was arrested on Tuesday after police sought information about a grey sedan seen at the murder scenes, and the community offered tips
- Syed was charged with domestic violence in May 2018 and aggravated battery in December 2018, DailyMail.com has learnt, but both charges were dropped
- The victims include Mohammad Zahir Ahmadi, 62; Aftab Hussein, 41; Muhammad Afzaal Hussain, 27; and Naeem Hussain, 25
- Each of the men were immigrants to the United States - two from Afghanistan, two from Pakistan: all were fatally shot within a five-mile radius of each other
- Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina announced on Tuesday the police department tracked down the suspect's vehicle and detained the driver
A man arrested as the prime suspect in the serial killing of four Muslim men in Albuquerque is believed to be a Sunni Muslim himself, it has been reported.
Police named the man as 51-year-old Muhammad Syed, who lived in southeast Albuquerque.
He emigrated from Afghanistan 'in the last few years', police said on Tuesday, and was twice charged with domestic violence - but charges were dropped.
Court records obtained by DailyMail.com show Syed was arrested in May 2018 and charged with 'battery (household member)'. He pleaded not guilty, and prosecutors dropped the charges in August of that year.
Four months later, on December 23, 2018, Syed was charged with aggravated battery. The case was dismissed in April 2019.
It is believed that the suspected killer himself was a Sunni Muslim - and may have targeted his victims because he was angry over his daughter marrying a Shiite Muslim, according to the New York Times.
Muhammad Syed, 51, was arrested on Tuesday and charged with the murder of two fellow Muslim men
Albuquerque police on Tuesday said Syed was identified through his car, thanks to tip offs from the community.
'As detectives prepared to search Syed's home on Monday, Syed drove from the residence in the Volkswagen Jetta that detectives believe was used in at least one of the murders,' they said in a statement.
'Detectives detained Syed and searched his home and the vehicle.
'They discovered evidence that further tied Syed to the murders.
'Detectives discovered evidence that show the offender knew the victims to some extend and an interpersonal conflict may have led to the shootings.'
Syed has been charged with two of the murders that have rocked New Mexico's largest city: the July 26 killing of Aftab Hussein, 41, and the August 1 death of Muhammad Afzaal Hussain, 27. Both men moved to the U.S. from Pakistan.
Police say the gun used in those two shootings was found in Syed's home.
The other two victims were both Afghan-born: Mohammad Zahir Ahmadi, 62 and Naeem Hussain, 25.
All of the victims had immigrated to the United States from South Asia, and were fatally shot within a five-mile radius of each other over the past nine months.
Ahmad Assed, president of the city's largest mosque, said he had been told that a hatred of Shiite Muslims was being investigated as a possible motive.
The different denominations of Islam splintered off and have opposing beliefs on who should have succeeded the Prophet Muhammad. Both branches of the religion still follow the same holy book and worship the same god
Police would not be drawn on their findings so far.
'The motives are still being explored,' said Deputy Commander Kyle Hartsock.
Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina announced on Twitter Tuesday: 'We tracked down the vehicle believed to be involved in a recent murder of a Muslim man in Albuquerque.
'The driver was detained and he is our primary suspect for the murders.'
Hartsock said: 'Right now we are only charging one person. If the evidence leads us to someone else, we're going to follow the evidence.'
He said the ballistic evidence from the murders had not yet been returned to them.
Hartsock said they were tipped off by someone in the community, through the Ambassador's Program which works on community relations.
Police received over 200 tips, they said.
Hartsock said that Syed had had misdemeanor run-ins with the law.
DailyMail.com has obtained Syed's charging documents, detailing his two 2018 arrests and the allegations against him.
In May 2018, Syed was arrested and charged with battery after his wife, Bibi Maimanay, accused him of attacking her.
Neither spoke English, but through a translator they were able to explain that they had been in the car, with Maimanay driving for the first time, and Syed told her she was a bad driver.
The pair began to fight, and Syed yanked his wife by the hair, the court documents state, and forced her from the car - leaving her to walk for two hours to their destination, New Mexico's Human Services Department.
When she arrived at the offices, Syed beat her again, leaving Maimanay on the floor in tears.
Police were called, and he was arrested.
Charges were dropped three months later.
In December 2018, Syed was arrested again, again on allegations of domestic violence.
Syed's son Maiwand said his father was beating both him and his mother, while his sister tried to hold Syed back.
Maiwand's head was bleeding after being hit with a metal spoon.
'Maiwand advised that Muhammad has routinely beat him and his mother in the past,' the police report states.
In April 2019 the charges were dropped.
The announcement of Syed's arrest comes just a day after the Albuquerque Police Department released photos of a dark gray sedan spotted by witnesses at one of the murder scenes, which they believed were used by the killer.
'Praise Allah,' said Tahir Gauba the director for public affairs for the Islamic Center of New Mexico.
He told DailyMail.com: 'The entire Muslim community had been paralyzed by fear, especially since last Friday's murder of Naeem Hussain.
'People weren't going outside. They weren't shopping. The were fearful of being shot.'
Gauba said he's hopeful police have the man who was responsible for the four men's murders.
'We need to be able to have peace in our life and go forward.'
Police had offered a $20,000 reward for any information leading to a suspect, as Muslim residents avoided going outside and questioned whether they were safe in the 'immigrant friendly' city.
Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina announced on Tuesday that a 'primary suspect' has been arrested in the murder of four Muslim men
Police released photos on Sunday of a dark gray sedan they believed were used to transport the victims after it was spotted by witnesses at one of the murder scenes
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