SAN DIEGO (AP) — Hours before an attack at a San Diego mosque that killed three men, including a security guard being hailed as a hero, police were racing to find the two teenagers who would ultimately be deemed responsible.

The search began after the mother of one of the teens reported that her son was suicidal and had run away, according to Police Chief Scott Wahl, who said weapons and her vehicle were missing from the family’s home.

Two hours later, the shooting started at the Islamic Center of San Diego, which also houses a school.

The suspects, ages 17 and 18, were found in a vehicle after killing themselves near the site of the shooting.

Authorities planned to execute search warrants Tuesday as they piece together how and why the attack happened. There was no specific threat against the Islamic center, which is the largest mosque in San Diego, but authorities found that the suspects engaged in “generalized hate rhetoric,” Wahl said, adding that the attack is being investigated as a hate crime.

Among those killed was a security guard who police believe “played a pivotal role” in keeping the attack from being “much worse,” Wahl said.

“It’s fair to say his actions were heroic,” the chief said. “Undoubtedly he saved lives.”

The mosque hasn’t released the victims’ names. But a family friend identified the guard as Amin Abdullah, who was well known at the mosque and had worked there for more than a decade.

“He wanted to defend the innocent so he decided to become a security guard,” said Shaykh Uthman Ibn Farooq, who spoke with Abdullah’s son.

The family could not immediately be reached for comment.

In a Facebook post, the mosque called him “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.”

The center wrote that those who died “were men who put themselves on the line for our masjid and our community,” using the Arabic word for mosque. “Men of courage, sacrifice, and faith. Their absence leaves a void that can never truly be filled.”

It didn’t provide details about the actions of the other two victims, but the mosque described one as a foundation of the center who was dedicated to building the community from the beginning, and the other as a man whose “kindness, sincerity and wavering spirit touched everyone around him.”

The shooting was the latest in a string of attacks on houses of worship and comes amid rising threats and hate crimes targeting the Muslim and Jewish communities since the beginning of war in the Middle East, forcing increases in security.

Just before the latest attack, the search for the missing teen intensified Monday morning as law enforcement began to gather more details. Police found he had dressed in camouflage and was with an acquaintance. Officers used automated license plate readers to track the car and went to a mall. They also alerted a school where at least one of the teens was a student and interviewed the mother, Wahl said.

When reports of the shooting came in, police responded within four minutes of being called. Three men were dead when they arrived, Wahl said.

The mosque sits in a neighborhood of homes, apartments and strip malls with Middle Eastern restaurants and markets. The center includes the Al Rashid School, which offers courses in Arabic language, Islamic studies and the Quran for students ages 5 and up, according to its website.

The center, which said it was closed until further notice, typically holds five daily prayers.

TV footage showed more than a dozen children holding hands and being walked out of the center’s parking lot as it was surrounded by police vehicles.

Imam Taha Hassane, the mosque’s director, called it “extremely outrageous to target a place of worship,” adding that the center focused on interfaith relations and community building.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, one of the largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy groups in the U.S., condemned the shooting.

“No one should ever fear for their safety while attending prayers or studying at an elementary school,” CAIR-San Diego Executive Director Tazheen Nizam said in a statement.

President Donald Trump called the shooting a “terrible situation.”

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Johnson reported from Seattle. Jaimie Ding in Los Angeles, Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City and Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed to this report.

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Police raced Monday to catch an armed teenage runaway before he and another teen opened fire on a San Diego mosque, killing three men and then themselves.

About two hours after one boy’s mother called to warn police that he had run away with her weapons and vehicle, shots rang out at the Islamic Center of San Diego, and a mosque security guard and two others were killed, San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said.

The gunmen, ages 17 and 18, were found dead of apparent self-inflicted gunshot wounds, the chief added.

The shooting is being investigated as a hate crime, he added.

Here’s what is known about the attack:

Search for suspects began hours before attack

Wahl said the mother, who called the police around 9:40 a.m., had described her son as suicidal. The search for the boy took on more urgency as police learned that he was dressed in camouflage and with an acquaintance — facts that were not consistent with someone about to die by suicide, the chief said.

Police used automated license plate readers to try to find the teens, dispatched authorities to a nearby mall and alerted Madison High School, where at least one suspect was a student, Wahl said. Officers were still interviewing the mother about places the teens might be when they received reports of a shooting at the largest mosque in San Diego County.

As police arrived, gunshots rang out a few blocks away where a landscaper was shot at but uninjured. The shooters were soon found dead in a vehicle stopped in the middle of a road nearby, Wahl said.

Suspects engaged in ‘generalized hate rhetoric’

There was no specific threat made against the the Islamic Center of San Diego but authorities found evidence that the suspects engaged in “generalized hate rhetoric,” Wahl said. He declined to immediately share more details.

The mosque’s director, Imam Taha Hassane, said the center focused on interfaith relations, and that a group of non-Muslims had been touring the mosque earlier Monday to learn about Islam.

The white mosque is surrounded by homes, apartments and strip malls with Middle Eastern restaurants and markets. It is home to the Al Rashid School, which offers courses in Arabic language, Islamic studies and the Quran for students ages 5 and up, according to its website. No students were harmed, Hassane said, and aerial TV footage showed the school children holding hands as they were led out of the parking lot surrounded by police vehicles.

Security guard remembered as ‘heroic’

Police have not yet released the names of the victims. But a family friend identified one as Amin Abdullah, a security guard whom Wahl said “played a pivotal role” in preventing the attack from being more deadly.

Shaykh Uthman Ibn Farooq said he had spoken with Abdullah’s son. The family could not immediately be reached for comment.

“He wanted to defend the innocent so he decided to become a security guard,” he said.

Wahl credited Abdullah with saving lives.

“It’s fair to say his actions were heroic,” the chief said at a news conference.

HAMMONTON, N.J., May 18, 2026 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Service First Information Solutions, LLC (Service 1st), a leading provider of credit reporting and verification solutions for the mortgage industry, announced today the appointment of Lucas Jones as Senior Vice President of Operations. In this role, Jones will lead operational strategy and execution, with a focus on driving efficiency, enhancing customer experience, and supporting the company’s next phase of growth.

Image caption: Service 1st Senior Vice President of Operations Lucas Jones.

Jones brings more than 20 years of experience in mortgage lending, financial services, fintech and proptech. He has a proven track record of building and scaling operational infrastructure, optimizing processes and aligning cross-functional teams to support high-growth environments.

Prior to joining NCS, he served as Head of Operations at RenoFi, where he managed end-to-end mortgage operations, scaled the team significantly and played a key role in product and process innovation. His background also includes leadership roles in banking and consulting, where he advised organizations on improving efficiency and reducing risk.

At Service 1st, he will focus on evaluating and enhancing operational processes to ensure the organization is operating at peak efficiency while delivering a consistently high-quality customer experience. As part of his role, he will also lead resource optimization, process improvement and the integration of new technologies to support efficiency and innovation across Service 1st’s offerings.

“Our goal is to create a highly efficient, predictable operation that directly translates into a better experience for our customers,” said Jones. “How we operate internally is what our customers ultimately feel. By improving speed, transparency, and consistency, we can turn every client interaction into an opportunity to build long-term trust and advocacy.”

“Service 1st is entering an exciting phase of growth, and Lucas brings the operational leadership we need to scale effectively,” said Curtis Knuth, CEO of Service 1st. “His experience building high-performing teams and driving efficiency will help us expand our capabilities while continuing to deliver the reliable, high-quality service our clients expect.”

ABOUT SERVICE FIRST INFORMATION SOLUTIONS, LLC:

Service First Information Solutions, LLC (Service 1st) delivers integrated, technology-driven verification tools designed to help mortgage lenders streamline workflows, reduce friction in the loan process and support faster, more informed lending decisions. Service 1st is affiliated with National Credit-reporting System, Inc. (NCS), a long-standing provider of credit information and verification services. To learn more, visit https://www.srv1st.com or call 866-606-5952.

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News Source: Service 1st Information Services