Teen Charged with Murder in San Diego Mosque Shooting

A 17-year-old North Carolina girl who recorded a livestream of the shooting that killed three people at a San Diego mosque has been charged with murder by aiding and abetting, prosecutors announced Monday. The indictment marks a significant legal development in the investigation of the May 18 attack at the Islamic Center of San Diego.

Forsyth County District Attorney Jim O’Neill said at a news conference in Winston-Salem that the girl, identified in court records as Sarah L. Santiago, was arrested last week. A grand jury indicted her on three counts of first-degree murder and one count of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, according to AP News. She is charged as an adult and was being held without bond.

The Alleged Role

According to the indictment, Santiago agreed prior to the attack that she would record the livestream as the gunmen filmed it, distribute the recording, and release a document written by the attackers. She carried out those tasks, the indictment said. She is also accused of purchasing a patch bearing a white-supremacist symbol—a Sonnenrad—and sending it to one of the gunmen to wear during the attack, which he did in fact wear, as CNN reported.

In all, three people watched the initial livestream, O’Neill said. It was not immediately clear if investigators had identified the others, and the indictment did not specify on which platforms the livestream was recorded or shared.

“The individual here, locally, was the person who was recording the livestream,” O’Neill said. “She disseminated that information and she published their manifesto.”

The Attack

On May 18, Cain Clark, 17, and Caleb Vazquez, 18, stormed the Islamic Center of San Diego—the largest mosque in San Diego County—before being driven back outside by a security guard who exchanged gunfire with them as he initiated a lockdown, helping to protect 140 children who were just steps away. The pair killed the guard, Amin Abdullah, and two other men—Nadir Awad and Mansour Kaziha—before taking their own lives in a vehicle nearby.

They left behind rambling writings full of vitriol against a wide range of people, and cited the shooter who killed 51 people at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 2019, as one of the models for their violence. The attackers referred to themselves as “Sons of Tarrant.”

Clark and Vazquez also planned subsequent attacks on two other targets: a Jewish temple and a predominantly Black high school, O’Neill said. He credited the guard and other victims at the mosque with having saved countless lives.

Legal Framework

Under North Carolina law, the aiding-and-abetting charges carry the same penalties as if the girl had committed the attack herself, O’Neill said. The indictment followed a weeks-long joint investigation involving the FBI and local law enforcement.

“Too often, in this age of technology, people attempt to disappear behind their keyboards and their screens,” said Reid Davis, special agent in charge of the North Carolina FBI office, according to WBTV. “If you put lives at risk, the entire weight of the federal, state, and local government, law enforcement agencies and prosecutors will come to bring justice.”

Santiago’s attorney, Alan Doorasamy Sr., said in an email that his client is innocent of all charges and that he had not received evidence from law enforcement, as KPBS reported.

Community Response

Tazheen Nizam, executive director of the San Diego office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said it is essential to hold everyone involved in such attacks accountable. “We as a community need to invest in dismantling anti-Muslim hate,” Nizam said.

Santiago’s arrest came just days before classes were to begin for the new school year, O’Neill said. “The thought of her going back to school … we didn’t know what she was capable of,” he said.

What’s Next

Santiago faces life imprisonment without the possibility of parole if convicted. The case highlights the growing legal scrutiny of individuals who facilitate or amplify acts of violence from a distance, even when they are not physically present at the scene. As Voice of San Diego noted, the charges signal that prosecutors are pursuing accountability for all those involved in the tragic incident, regardless of their geographic location.

The investigation into the shooting continues, with authorities examining the full extent of the online radicalization network that connected the shooters to Santiago. The case is expected to proceed through the North Carolina court system in the coming months.