San Diego shooting: The courage displayed by a security guard, who was fatally shot alongside two other men at a mosque in San Diego on Monday, is being hailed for preventing the tragic incident from becoming more worse.
The guard, identified as Amin Abdullah, was a father of eight, as reported by Tazheen Nizam, a spokeswoman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations-San Diego (Cair-SD), to the BBC.
Addressing a press conference, San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said, “It’s fair to say his actions were heroic. Undoubtedly, he saved lives today.”
Abdullah, along with two others identified by Cair-SD as Mansour Kaziha and Nader Awad, was killed by two teenage assailants who remain unidentified and subsequently took their own lives, according to police reports.
Also Read: San Diego shooting: Shocking details out on Cain Clark’s suicide note, racial pride writing and hate speech on weapon
Amin Abdullah lauded as ‘the kindest man’
People familiar with Abdullah shared with US media that he was a caretaker of the community. Many have turned to social media to characterize him as “the kindest man one could ever encounter.”
The mosque referred to him as “a courageous man who put himself on the line of the safety of others, who even in his last moments did not stop protecting our community.”
“Amin was loved by everybody, he stood there day after day, always smiling, welcoming everybody, welcoming the kids who came to the school. He was a shining light. He is a true hero, a martyr,” Cair spokeswoman Nizam told BBC.
Meanwhile, a family friend informed the Associated Press that Abdullah was a familiar figure at the mosque, having served there for over ten years.
His desire was to protect the innocent, which led him to pursue a career as a security guard, Shaykh Uthman Ibn Farooq stated to the news agency.
Sam Hamideh, who met Abdullah at the mosque, shared with CBS, the BBC’s US partner, that the security guard would be remembered for his generosity.
Amin Abdullah’s fundraising campaign
As of Tuesday morning, an online fundraising campaign for him has successfully gathered over $1.7 million.
Following the identification of Abdullah in reports as one of the individuals who lost their lives in the attack, an outpouring of tributes began to emerge online. A Facebook profile linked to him boasts 1,800 followers and states that Abdullah was married.
His most recent post dates back to May 13, showcasing a video of a hawk resting on the minaret of a mosque, with the caption: “Hawk on the minaret again, Allahu Akbar.”
Among the tributes dedicated to Abdullah were identical posts on Facebook, X, and Instagram by American Muslim scholar Omar Suleiman, who shared a screenshot of one of Abdullah’s posts on Facebook.
“Brother Amin Abdullah was the guard at the mosque in San Diego for years. He was instrumental in stopping the shooters from reaching the children today. This was his final post on FB. On these holiest days, may Allah have mercy on him and accept him as a martyr. Ameen,” Suleiman stated.
