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San Diego Islamic Center shooting victims identified as security guard is hailed a hero
The three men killed in Monday’s shootingat the Islamic Center of San Diegohave been identified, as a security guard who was killed is being hailed as a hero for his courage during the attack.
Imam Taha Hassane identified the security guard as Amin Abdullah. The other two victims were identified as Mansour Kaziha and Nader Awad. Police have said the tragedy, which is being investigated as a hate crime, could have been much worse without Abdullah’s intervention.
People who knew Abdullah have spoken out about his life, describing him as a father of eight and remembering him for his kindness and valor.
“Because of his heroism and his courage, his bravery, and the love for his community and his faith, he saved a lot of lives,” said Mayte Gutierrez, a former employee of the Islamic Center’s school, which is attached to the mosque. Gutierrez told “CBS Mornings” on Tuesday that she knew the security guard well.
Many have praised Abdullah for keeping the suspects away from the school when they targeted the Islamic Center on Monday morning. Hassane confirmed the entire school was safe, including all of the children and teachers, in a social media post shared in the hours after news of the shooting first broke. While speaking during a news conference, he later urged the public to respect the privacy of the victims and their families.
San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl on Tuesday said the suspects ran past the security guard, “most likely not knowing he was there,” and Abdullah then fired at them. After announcing the threat on his radio and initiating the mosque’s lockdown protocols, he “continued to engage in a gun battle” with the suspects, Wahl said.
“His actions, without a doubt, delayed, distracted and ultimately deterred these two individuals from gaining access to the greater areas of the mosque, where as many as 140 kids were within 15 feet of these suspects,” he said.
Kaziha and Awad then “inadvertently” drew the suspects back out into the parking lot, “where they were unfortunately unable to flee,” Wahl said. The suspects managed to corner and kill the two men, but while outside, police said they believe the suspects tried to flee in their car after they realized law enforcement was “seconds away.”
“All three of our victims did not die in vain,” Wahl said. “Without distracting the attention, without delaying the actions of these two individuals, without question, there would have been many more fatalities yesterday.”
The two suspects, 17 and 18 years old, were found dead inside a vehicle nearby, police said.
Wahl had earlier credited the security guard for helping contain the situation before authorities responded to the scene.
“I think it’s fair to say his actions were heroic, and, undoubtedly, he saved lives today,” Wahl said Monday.
Sandy Huffaker/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images 
Sam Hamideh, a parent who said he knew Abdullah through the Islamic Center, told CBS News Los Angeles that the man’s benevolence and generosity were character traits of his that really stood out.
“This guy, like, it didn’t matter who walked up … any random person could just walk up and, like, he would greet them, make sure they are OK,” Hamideh recalled. “Whether they were homeless off the street looking for something, whether it was a child or the elderly.”
Abdullah was hired by the mosque around 2019 or 2020, according to Hassane.
Abdullah “never, ever stopped smiling,” Hassane said Tuesday during a news conference. “If not for him … the carnage would be much worse. He’s the one who stopped them. Who slowed them down. If he didn’t do what he did, and he sacrificed his life, the two suspects would have easy access to every single classroom. We’re so proud of him.”
Speaking about the other victims, Hassane said Kaziha was “the pillar of the Islamic Center of San Diego,” and had been a member since 1986. Hassane said it was Kaziha who first called 911 after shots rang out.
“In the last 22 years being the imam of the Islamic Center of San Diego, I have never done anything without him,” Hassane said. “He is on the top of my list for people to call. Every single thing going wrong, even the lights not working … He was the handyman. He was the cook. He was the caretaker. He was the storekeeper. He was everything. I don’t know what I’m going to do at the Islamic Center without his assistance.”
“We miss him,” he added.
Hassane also spoke of the heroism of Awad, saying that when he heard the shooting, “he rushed. To do something. To protect. And he joined Mansour Kaziha. They died together … Both of them, they tried to do something.”
“Unfortunately, they sacrificed their lives to protect the entire community inside the Islamic Center of San Diego,” Hassane said.
Awad lived across the street from the Islamic Center and his wife is a teacher at the school, Hassane said. Awad came to pray at the center “every single day,” Hassane said.
Wahl said during a news conference Monday that all three of the shooting victims were seen in front of the mosque when police arrived. Moments later, officers were called to a different location nearby and discovered the two suspected shooters deceased inside a vehicle, according to the police chief. The FBI said both suspects were teenagers.
Hassane said the center is “used to receiving hate mail, hate messages, people driving by and cursing and all that stuff,” but that he never expected an attack like Monday’s would happen.
Federal investigators said Monday they had not yet determined a motive for the attack, but Wahl told reporters that “because of the Islamic Center location, we are considering this a hate crime until it’s not.”
FBI San Diego Field Office special agent in charge Mark Remily said Tuesday that investigators found a document the FBI called a “manifesto” in the suspects’ vehicle. The document, which has been reviewed by CBS News, appears to glorify past mass shooters and spout anti-Islamic and antisemitic rhetoric as well as racist and misogynistic speech.
“These subjects did not discriminate on who they hated,” he said, adding later, “It covered a wide aspect of races and religions.”
Remily also said the FBI and local police are conducting “extensive interviews” with the suspects’ family and friends. As of Tuesday, they had executed search warrants at three different homes, and found guns and other equipment, he said, including “numerous pistols, rifles, shotguns, ammunition, tactical gear, as well as electronics,” at two of those locations. More than 30 guns and a crossbow have been seized so far, Remily said.
Wahl said the guns belonged to one of the suspect’s parents. He said they were investigating how they got the weapons and that it was too early to determine if the parents could be facing charges. Police had previously said the mother of one of the suspects had called police prior to the shooting to report that her son, car and several guns were missing. Wahl said Tuesday it was the mother of the younger, 17-year-old suspect who called.
Remily said authorities are aware that the suspects appear to have livestreamed the shooting, but that he couldn’t comment much on it other than to say investigators were “digging into that as aggressively and as quickly as we can.”
The suspects met online and both realized they lived in the San Diego area, according to Remily.
The deadly shooting comes as places of worship, in the United States and internationally, are increasingly targeted in acts of violence. On Monday, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said more police officers would be deployed to guard places of worship to ensure “that we anticipate and try to prevent the very worst,” as he also thanked the security guard for his actions at the Islamic Center.
“We didn’t meet that mark today, but I have deep gratitude to the security officer who was here, whose actions and heroism undoubtedly saved lives,” Gloria said.
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California doctor convicted of $45M Medicare fraud scheme that funded luxury vacations and a $12K crossbow
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FIRST ON FOX: A California doctor accused of submitting more than $45 million in false and fraudulent Medicare claims for Botox injections—in an effort to fund a lavish lifestyle that included luxury vacations and the purchase of a $12,000 17th-century crossbow—has been convicted by a federal jury, the Justice Department announced.
Violetta Mailyan, 45, of Glendale, was convicted of nine counts of wire fraud and three counts of obstruction of a criminal investigation of a healthcare offense.
Mailyan’s operation in the Los Angeles suburb was flagged by the DOJ’s Health Care Fraud Section’s Data Analytics Team. An analysis showed that she had been paid more by Medicare for Botox injections than any other doctor in the United States, making her an extreme outlier among medical providers, prosecutors said.
At the time, Mailyan had been paid more than $24 million over the previous four years — six times the amount received by the next highest group of providers, all of whom were neurologists.
“Violetta Mailyan falsely diagnosed patients, fraudulently billed Medicare for Botox injections while she was actually on lavish vacations, and tried to trick federal agents with fake records,” said Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division. “The Fraud Division’s data-driven approach shines a light on fraud schemes across the country, ensuring that no doctor can engage in these brazen schemes to steal taxpayer dollars.”
LOS ANGELES HOSPICE FRAUD REACHES BILLIONS AS MEDICARE PROVIDERS SCAM FEDERAL SYSTEM WITH FAKE COMPANIES
Violetta Mailyan, who owned and operated Healthy Way Medical Center in California, received millions of dollars as part of a Botox fraud scheme, authorities said. (Instagram/ dr_violetta_mailyan)
In addition to scheming to defraud Medicare, Mailyan altered medical records in an attempt to mislead investigators, authorities said. She owned and operated the Healthy Way Medical Center, which billed Medicare for Botox injections that were medically unnecessary and never actually provided.
This included billing for injections on dates when Mailyan was traveling to Cabo, Mexico; Maui, Hawaii; Las Vegas; Pennsylvania; and New York.
Furthermore, some of the injections allegedly took place on dates when the clinic was closed, or when the patient who supposedly received the treatment was actually incarcerated in federal prison.
DR OZ SAYS 800 HOSPICE PROVIDERS SUSPENDED IN CALIFORNIA OVER ALLEGED $1B MEDICARE FRAUD SCHEME
Dr. Violetta Mailyan allegedly submitted more than $45 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare for Botox injections. (Instagram/ dr_violetta_mailyan)
Typically, Medicare reimburses medical providers for Botox injections only when they are deemed necessary to treat documented cases of chronic migraines. However, Mailyan billed and received payments for thousands of injections that were either never provided, administered solely for cosmetic purposes, or given to patients whose primary care physicians had not referred them for chronic migraine treatment.
On her social media accounts, Mailyan even described herself as a “BOTOX FILLER NONSURGICAL NOSE COSMETIC DOCTOR.”
Prosecutors said that in an effort to conceal the fraud, she fabricated patient medical records—including patient consent forms—to make it appear as if patients received migraine treatments in her office. She was accused of backdating some claims to bill for injections before the patients had even contacted her clinic to request an appointment.
LA MAN FOUND GUILTY OF SCAMMING INVESTORS, HOLLYWOOD STARS OUT OF OVER $20 MILLION TO FUEL LAVISH LIFESTYLE
An image of a Florentine Mannerist crossbow and a portrait of Ludwig I, the crown prince of Bavaria, which were both purchased by Violetta Mailyan by money from her alleged Medicare scheme. (Justice Department)
Mailyan used millions of dollars she received from the fraud to fund lavish vacations and purchase luxury collectible goods, including a $3,000 painting of Ludwig 1, crown prince of Bavaria, and the $12,000 17th-century crossbow, prosecutors said.
Dr. Violetta Mailyan was charged with nine counts of wire fraud and three counts of obstructing a criminal investigation after she allegedly conducted a Medicare Botox fraud scheme. (Instagram/ dr_violetta_mailyan)
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Mailyan faces up to 20 years in prison for each count of wire fraud and five years in prison for each count of obstruction. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Mailyan’s legal team for comment.
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Live Updates: Trump says major attack on Iran still possible at a moments notice if peace deal not reached
Iran holds mass wedding for 1,000 couples in “Sacrifice for Iran” event
Iran has held a mass wedding for at least 1,000 couples in Tehran as part of what state media called a “Sacrifice for Iran” event.
Couples who had agreed to fight for Iran if the country is attacked were celebrated with flowers, flags and balloons on Monday, and driven around on military vehicles.
At Imam Hossein Square, just one of the ceremony locations in the capital, 110 couples were married.
Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu/Getty 
Israeli attacks have killed more than 3,000 people in Lebanon, health ministry says
Lebanon’s health ministry said Monday that 3,020 people have been killed in Israeli attacks since early March, amid the neighboring nation’s war with Iranian-backed Hezbollah. Another 9,273 people have been wounded, the ministry said.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Monday he was ready to “do the impossible” to stop the war between Israel and Hezbollah, the U.S.- and Israeli-designated terrorist group based in his country.
Last week, a U.S.-brokered ceasefire between the governments of Israel and Lebanon was extended for 45 more days following a third round of talks in Washington, D.C., but Hezbollah has rejected both the truce and the negotiations, in which it has never been directly involved.
“The framework that Lebanon has set for the negotiations consists of an Israeli withdrawal, a ceasefire, the deployment of the army along the border, the return of the displaced, and economic aid,” Aoun said Monday.
Hezbollah has continued attacking Israeli forces, who have occupied a significant swath of southern Lebanon, and firing rockets into northern Israel, claiming it is responding to Israel’s ongoing attacks. Both sides have accused the other daily of violating the ceasefire.
The Israeli army warned yet more residents in southern Lebanese towns to evacuate their villages Tuesday ahead of strikes. Lebanese officials say more than 1 million people have been displaced by the war.
CBS/AFP
Trump warns assault on Iran could happen “on a moment’s notice” if deal isn’t reached
President Trump warned that a full, large-scale assault of Iran could happen “on a moment’s notice” if a deal isn’t reached.
Mr. Trump said in a social media post he’s not going ahead with a planned attack of Iran on Tuesday, saying “serious negotiations” are taking place.
Iran said it’s focused entirely on an agreement to end the war, but has not discussed any details on nuclear matters, the Trump administration’s top issue.
Trump says U.S. “will NOT” follow through with “scheduled” military attack on Iran
President Trump on Monday afternoon said the U.S. “will NOT” follow through with “scheduled” attacks on Iran on Tuesday, after he said partner nations in the Middle East asked him to hold off. The president made the announcement on Truth Social.
“In their opinion, as Great Leaders and Allies, a Deal will be made, which will be very acceptable to the United States of America, as well as all Countries in the Middle East, and beyond,” he wrote. “This Deal will include, importantly, NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS FOR IRAN!”
He said he told Pentagon leaders that while “we will NOT be doing the scheduled attack of Iran tomorrow,” he instructed them “to be prepared to go forward with a full, large scale assault of Iran, on a moment’s notice, in the event that an acceptable Deal is not reached.”
Read more here.
Iranian officials lay out their terms for a peace deal and claim it was the U.S. that sought negotiations
An Iranian lawmaker has claimed the U.S. requested the ceasefire and negotiations between the two countries, not the other way around.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran never requested negotiations with the United States during the war,” Ebrahim Rezaei, spokesperson for Iran’s Parliament National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, said Monday, according to Iran’s ISNA news agency.
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs, Kazem Gharibabadi, also said Monday that Iran had submitted its latest proposal for a peace deal, but that U.S. representatives “have not yet provided an official response.”
He said that for a peace deal to materialize, “war on all fronts, including Lebanon, must end; U.S. forces must withdraw from the region surrounding Iran; the maritime blockade must be lifted; sanctions must be removed; and Iran’s assets must be released.”
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Former Virginia assistant principal on trial after allegedly ignoring warnings before 6-year-old shot teacher
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A former Virginia assistant principal is on trial on felony child neglect charges after prosecutors say she ignored warnings that a 6-year-old student had a loaded gun before the child shot his teacher in 2023.
Jury selection began Monday in Newport News in the trial of Ebony Parker, the former assistant principal at Richneck Elementary School. Parker, who has pleaded not guilty, faces eight felony child neglect charges tied to the shooting of first-grade teacher Abby Zwerner, according to The Associated Press.
Prosecutors allege several school employees warned Parker that the student might have a gun, but she failed to take action before the shooting happened, the outlet reported.
Parker’s defense has argued she is being unfairly blamed for broader failures that preceded the shooting.
ATTORNEY SAYS VIRGINIA SCHOOL MISSED WARNINGS BEFORE 6-YEAR-OLD SHOT TEACHER
Former Richneck Elementary School assistant principal Ebony Parker looks back in the courtroom during Abby Zwerner’s lawsuit in Newport News, Virginia, on Oct. 28, 2025. (Stephen M. Katz/The Virginian-Pilot)
Prosecutors brought one count for each of the eight bullets loaded in the gun. If convicted, Parker could face up to five years in prison for each count, AP reported.
The shooting happened on Jan. 6, 2023, when authorities said the 6-year-old student shot Zwerner while she was teaching.
She was hospitalized for nearly two weeks and underwent six surgeries after the bullet narrowly missed her heart. She still has limited use of her left hand, according to the AP.
TEACHER SHOT BY 6-YEAR-OLD TELLS JURORS SHE NEVER PULLED CHILD FROM CLASS AS DEFENSE EXPERTS BACK OFFICIALS
Former Richneck Elementary School teacher Abby Zwerner looks back in the courtroom during her civil lawsuit trial in Newport News, Virginia, on Oct. 28, 2025. (Stephen M. Katz/The Virginian-Pilot)
In November 2025, a jury awarded Zwerner $10 million in a civil lawsuit against Parker, alleging the former administrator dismissed concerns that the student may have brought a gun to school.
In a statement to Fox News Digital at the time, Zwerner’s legal team said the verdict marked a “major step forward in Abby’s long road of healing.”
During the earlier civil trial, Parker’s attorneys argued the shooting was “unforeseeable” and maintained she did not have a legal responsibility to protect Zwerner from the attack.
KENTUCKY TO CONSIDER BILL THAT WOULD HOLD PARENTS ACCOUNTABLE FOR CHILDREN’S GUN CRIMES
Students return to Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia, on Jan. 30, 2023. (Billy Schuerman/The Virginian-Pilot)
Zwerner is expected to testify in the criminal trial, AP reported.
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Authorities said the child got the gun from his mother’s purse after climbing onto a dresser. The student’s mother was previously sentenced to nearly four years in prison.
Fox News Digital’s Julia Bonavita, Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
UsaLocalNews
GOP Rep. Thomas Massie defiant as Trump seeks to oust him in primary: Im going to win
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Cold case killer who chewed cops undercover DNA bait faces survivor, families in courtroom showdown
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A Washington man was sentenced to 50 years to life in prison after admitting to a pair of decades-old cold-case killings which investigators linked him to using a piece of gum.
Mitchell Gaff, 74, was sentenced last week after he previously pleaded guilty to the murders of 21-year-old Susan Vesey and 42-year-old Judith “Judy” Weaver in Everett, according to FOX 13.
Investigators linked Gaff to the 1984 murder of Weaver after detectives with the Everett Police Department visited his home while claiming to be researchers working within the gum industry and inviting him to try a free sample, USA Today reported.
Gaff reportedly obliged, providing the undercover detectives with a sample that was subsequently sent through the federal database CODIS, where investigators ultimately linked him to Weaver’s murder.
DAUGHTERS’ RELENTLESS SEARCH SHATTERS ‘OVERDOSE’ CLAIM, LEADS TO ARREST IN MOM’S 1992 MURDER
Mitchell Gaff pleaded guilty to the rapes and cold case murders of Judith Weaver and Susan Vesey in Everett, Wash., according to the Everett Police Department. (KCPQ)
He was arrested in May 2024 and was later charged with Vesey’s killing while behind bars, with investigators revealing she had been murdered inside her apartment the day after her 21st birthday on July 12, 1980, officials said.
Speaking in court on Wednesday, Gaff offered an apology to the families of both victims seated in the courtroom, while pointing to drugs and alcohol as contributing factors to his history of violence.
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Susan Vesey was murdered inside her home in Everett, Wash., on July 12, 1980, according to authorities. (Everett Police Department)
“I am sorry, not because I was caught, but the consequences,” Gaff said, according to NBC News. “No one did anything to deserve me coming into their lives.”
HORROR VIDEO CAPTURES REPEAT OFFENDER ALLEGEDLY ATTACKING 75-YEAR-OLD WOMAN, GOUGING HER EYE WITH SPIKED STICK
The court also heard from Jacqueline O’Brien, a former law enforcement officer who survived a violent attack by Gaff inside her Everett home’s garage in 1979.
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Authorities found Judy Weaver’s body inside her home on Rucker Avenue in Everett, Washington, after first responders were called to a fire on June 2, 1984. (Everett Police Department)
“I knew he was going to kill me,” O’Brien said, FOX 13 reported.
O’Brien managed to escape the attack and was pivotal in helping authorities identify Gaff, who was arrested several times in the years after and spent time behind bars for the rapes of two teenage sisters in 1984.
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“My nightmare occurred 47 years ago, but it seems like yesterday,” O’Brien added.
Vesey’s son, Joshua Vesey, told the court he was just 3 months old and inside the apartment when his mother was killed by Gaff, FOX 13 reported.
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“What the defendant took from me and my sister was not just a life, it was a mother’s unconditional love,” Joshua Vesey told the court, according to the outlet. “At any point he could have stopped the confusion, the suspicion and the pain that spread through my family.”
DECADES-OLD COLD CASE BREAKTHROUGH LEADS TO ARREST IN EXECUTION-STYLE KILLINGS OF MARRIED COUPLE BEFORE CHILD
Leon Gregory, Weaver’s brother, also emphasized how the case haunted his family for years as they grappled with the possibility of never receiving closure.
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“Your Honor, as we all know, it’s been a long 42 years,” Gregory said, according to FOX 13. “My parents, brother, two other sisters, passed on years ago, never knowing who killed Judy.”
Before determining Gaff’s fate, the judge pointed to his history of violence and attempts to cover up the crimes throughout the years as a determining factor in denying the defense’s request that he receive the minimum sentence.
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“The defendant’s history consists of sexually motivated, extremely violent crimes against women,” the judge said, FOX 13 reported. “The appropriate sentence has a minimum is the number of years that the families had to wait.”
The Snohomish County Prosecutor’s Office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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