ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.: An Afghan refugee convicted of first-degree murder in one of three fatal shootings in 2022 that shook Albuquerque’s Muslim community pleaded no contest Tuesday to two homicide charges stemming from the other killings.
Prosecutors said Muhammad Syed, 53, entered the pleas to two counts of second-degree murder for the deaths of Muhammad Afzaal Hussain, 27, and Naeem Hussain.
A jury had convicted Syed in March in the shooting death of Aftab Hussein, 41, in July 2022.
The three ambush-style killings happened over the course of several days, leaving authorities scrambling to determine if race or religion might have been behind the shootings. Investigators soon shifted away from possible hate crimes to what prosecutors called the “willful and very deliberate” actions of another member of the Muslim community.
Syed, who settled in the US with his family several years earlier, denied involvement in the killings after being stopped more than 100 miles (160 kilometers) from Albuquerque. He told authorities he was on his way to Texas to find a new home for his family, saying he was concerned about the killings in Albuquerque.
Bernalillo County prosecutors say Syed faces a life prison sentence in Aftab Hussein’s killings and will serve 30 years behind bars for the no-contest pleas. A sentencing date hasn’t been set.
Authorities said Afzaal Hussain, an urban planner, was gunned down Aug. 1, 2022, while taking his evening walk. Naeem Hussain was shot four days later as he sat in his vehicle outside a refugee resettlement agency on the city’s south side. Aftab Hussein was a student leader at the University of New Mexico who was active in politics and later worked for the city of Española.
After Syed’s conviction in March, prosecutors acknowledged that no testimony during the trial nor any court filings addressed a possible motive. Prosecutors had described him as having a violent history, but his public defenders argued that previous allegations of domestic violence never resulted in convictions.
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Afghan refugee pleads no contest to 2 murders in case that shocked Albuquerque’s Muslim community
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Afghan refugee pleads no contest to 2 murders in case that shocked Albuquerque’s Muslim community
- Bernalillo County prosecutors say Syed faces a life prison sentence in Aftab Hussein’s killings and will serve 30 years behind bars for the no-contest pleas
Beijing vows ‘measures’ after CIA Chinese-language recruitment ad
- Chinese-language video appears to target disaffected officers and appeals for information on China’s leaders and armed forces
- China’s foreign ministry condemns what it called ‘anti-China forces’ and vows action to protect national security
BEIJING: Beijing will take “all necessary measures” against foreign espionage activities, the foreign ministry said Friday, after the US spy agency issued a recruitment video targeting Chinese military personnel.
The CIA’s Chinese-language video, published on the agency’s YouTube channel on Thursday, appears to target disaffected officers and appeals for information on China’s leaders and armed forces.
China’s foreign ministry condemned what it called “anti-China forces” and vowed action to protect national security.
“China will take all necessary measures to resolutely combat infiltration and sabotage activities of foreign anti-China forces and resolutely safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests,” foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a press conference when asked about the CIA video.
He did not provide any details on the measures Beijing could take.
The video depicts a fictional Chinese officer deciding to contact the US intelligence agency after concluding that “the only thing leaders are protecting is their own interest” and that “their power is based on countless lies.”
It shows the officer at home with his family, then driving past a checkpoint in pouring rain before taking out a laptop in the car and typing on it as he says: “Picking this path is my way of fighting for my family and my country.”
Chinese text accompanying the clip appeals for leaks on Beijing’s leaders and military as well as other areas.
“Do you have information about high-ranking Chinese leaders? Are you a military officer or have dealings with the military? Do you work in intelligence, diplomacy, economics, science, or advanced technology fields, or deal with people working in these fields?”
“Please contact us. We want to understand the truth,” the text says, adding that the CIA can be contacted “securely through our Tor hidden service.”
The latest appeal came after the agency released a number of videos last year that its Director John Ratcliffe said were aimed at recruiting Chinese officials.
They are “just one of many ways that we’re adjusting our tradecraft,” Ratcliffe said.
Beijing condemned the posts at the time as “naked political provocation,” saying Washington “not only maliciously smears and attacks China, but also openly deceives and lures Chinese personnel to surrender.”
The CIA’s Chinese-language video, published on the agency’s YouTube channel on Thursday, appears to target disaffected officers and appeals for information on China’s leaders and armed forces.
China’s foreign ministry condemned what it called “anti-China forces” and vowed action to protect national security.
“China will take all necessary measures to resolutely combat infiltration and sabotage activities of foreign anti-China forces and resolutely safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests,” foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a press conference when asked about the CIA video.
He did not provide any details on the measures Beijing could take.
The video depicts a fictional Chinese officer deciding to contact the US intelligence agency after concluding that “the only thing leaders are protecting is their own interest” and that “their power is based on countless lies.”
It shows the officer at home with his family, then driving past a checkpoint in pouring rain before taking out a laptop in the car and typing on it as he says: “Picking this path is my way of fighting for my family and my country.”
Chinese text accompanying the clip appeals for leaks on Beijing’s leaders and military as well as other areas.
“Do you have information about high-ranking Chinese leaders? Are you a military officer or have dealings with the military? Do you work in intelligence, diplomacy, economics, science, or advanced technology fields, or deal with people working in these fields?”
“Please contact us. We want to understand the truth,” the text says, adding that the CIA can be contacted “securely through our Tor hidden service.”
The latest appeal came after the agency released a number of videos last year that its Director John Ratcliffe said were aimed at recruiting Chinese officials.
They are “just one of many ways that we’re adjusting our tradecraft,” Ratcliffe said.
Beijing condemned the posts at the time as “naked political provocation,” saying Washington “not only maliciously smears and attacks China, but also openly deceives and lures Chinese personnel to surrender.”
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