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The San Diego mosque shooting victims remembered as ‘heroes’ for protecting children
From left to right, Mansour Kaziha, Amin Abdullah and Nadir Awad.
The Islamic Center of San Diego
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The Islamic Center of San Diego
Mansour Kaziha was the mosque’s shopkeeper known for letting children take candy for free. Nadir Awad was funny, cheerful and regularly went to the mosque to pray. And Amin Abdullah was a dedicated security guard who greeted people with a bright smile and the occasional sage life advice.
Until recently, all three men were best known for small, everyday interactions at the Islamic Center of San Diego.
But after the harrowing attack on Monday, they are now remembered for their larger-than-life acts of courage, which cost them their lives but prevented two gunmen from coming into contact with the some hundred children and staff who were inside the mosque.
“At no point [were they] hiding or running away from what’s happening,” Ghouse Mohammed, the center’s head of security, told NPR. “All three of them were heroes.”
In the aftermath, community members have united in grief and gratitude for Abdullah, Kaziha and Awad — as well as brewing frustration over how factors like anti-Muslim rhetoric both online and among elected officials led to Monday’s act of violence.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Mark Remily, special agent in charge of the FBI’s San Diego field office, described the two shooting suspects as teenagers who shared a “broad hatred” toward different races and religious groups.
“We are thoroughly investigating this case to learn everything we can and will not stop until we get to the bottom of what happened and why,” Remily said. “But we also want to learn how this happened and what we can do to stop future acts of violence.”
What we know about the victims
Last week, when Amin Abdullah’s daughter Hawaa earned her teaching credential, she said her father couldn’t make it because he was at work.
Hawaa didn’t hold it against the father of eight. Instead, she shared this anecdote at a news press conference on Tuesday as one example of how seriously her father took his job as a security guard. Other times, she said Abdullah would forego meals in order to stay at his post.
“ He wanted to save his food till after he left the job because he was afraid that if he went on his break, something bad would happen,” she said. “ He would be so vigilant in protecting the masjid, protecting the children.”
In part, Abdullah, 51, was protective by nature. But he was also shaken by the mass shooting at a New Zealand mosque in 2019, which killed 51 people, according to Ismahan Abdullahi, who grew up attending the San Diego mosque.
“ The fact that so many lives were saved because of him is not a surprise to us because that’s who he was,” she told NPR. “ He was courageous, he was sincere, he was loving, and he always put other people first, and it cost him his life.”
Mansour Kaziha had been a fixture at the Islamic Center of San Diego since the 1980s, according to Mohammed, the head of the mosque’s security. From then on, Kaziha continued to be the mosque’s handyman. The 78-year-old also managed the center’s store, often striking up conversations with customers.
“ Every child who grew in the San Diego community since the ’80s know him as uncle,” Mohammed said.
Kaziha was also known for feeding hundreds during iftar when worshippers would break their first fast during Ramadan. His lentil soup was a crowd favorite, according to Noor Abdi, a youth leader at Huda Community Center in San Diego, who grew up eating Kaziha’s cooking during Ramadan.
“ He has done so much. I can’t name the amount of things that he has his fingerprints on, and we have lost a pillar of this center,” Abdi said.
Nadir Awad, 57, lived across the street and his wife is a teacher at the school inside the center. Mohammed described him as having a “very charming personality, always smiling, always laughing.”
Although Awad didn’t have an official role at the mosque, he responded without hesitation on Monday, Mohammed said.
“ When he heard the first rounds, he just ran towards the Islamic Center to check on what’s going on and how he’s able to help,” the security chief said.
Mosque saw growing number of threats
According to Mohammed — who has overseen security at the mosque for 13 years — threats toward the mosque have increased since the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 and Israel’s war in Gaza. In response to Monday’s shooting, Mohammed said he hopes to see increased patrols and greater police presence at all houses of worship.
“Because we all are vulnerable,” he said. “ And we don’t want … this to happen anywhere, to any community, any faith-based organizations.”
Mohammed said the Islamic Center increased its security and began arming its officers after the 2019 attack in New Zealand. Abdullah was among the new guards who joined afterwards.
Mohammed added that the mosque has practiced active shooter drills before, but mainly in the case of a single gunman, not two.
As he grieves losing Abdullah, who he described as a close friend and colleague, Mohammed said he reviewed the surveillance footage from the shooting and that Abdullah responded exactly how he was trained.
“We did our best with protecting this place,” he said.
ICE has been trying to continue its mass deportations without drawing headlines. Our White House correspondent Zolan Kanno-Youngs explains how two fatal shootings at traffic stops raise the question of whether the Trump administration can continue its campaign without deadly consequences.
Topline
The National Weather Service is cautioning people in states as far south as South Carolina to monitor local air quality as smoke from hundreds of Canadian wildfires pours over the border and American politicians rail against the country as the fires burn out of control.
People sit near the Brooklyn Bridge as wildfire smoke from Canada causes hazy conditions on July 16, 2026 in New York.
AFP via Getty Images
Key Facts
The National Weather Service issued air quality alerts Friday due to wildfire smoke in parts of North Dakota, Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, New Jersey, Delaware, Rhode Island, New York, Connecticut, Maryland and Washington D.C.
Air quality in parts of Michigan has been declared “hazardous”—the most extreme category—and Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois and Indiana are experiencing “very unhealthy” levels of air pollution.
New York, including New York City, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Delaware and Maryland are warning of “unhealthy” air and a widespread haze from the smoke, and states further south and east are warning sensitive populations may be at risk.
The smoke is spilling across borders from roughly 850 wildfires burning in Canada, many of the largest in Ontario, and more than a dozen fires in northern Minnesota.
Republican members of Congress are slamming Canada’s government for what they perceive as inaction in preventing and stopping the wildfires causing the smoke and poor air quality, with one even calling for sanctions.
Four Michigan Republicans—Reps. John James, Jack Bergman, John Moolenaar and Lisa McClain—said in a letter this week that Canada “has the tools to prevent” the smoke from pouring into the U.S. and “has chosen not to,” and Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) said in a post on X that he will table a bill next week to “sanction Canada and the responsible Canadian government officials for this atrocity.”
CRUCIAL QUOTE
“Our constituents are breathing the consequences of this failure right now, and they deserve better than to be told, again, that it will be handled,” the Michigan lawmakers said in their letter.
HOW TO STAY SAFE FROM WILDFIRE SMOKE
Those in states with extreme air quality warnings are being cautioned to limit outdoor activity and, in states with very unhealthy and hazardous warnings, to stay inside altogether with windows closed. Doctors advise anyone with heart or lung disease to stay indoors, and other groups to take precautions. For people who work outside, health officials have recommended wearing an N95 mask, which can filter at least 95% of airborne particles.
WHY IS WIDLFIRE SMOKE SO DANGEROUS?
Smoke from wildfires is made of water vapor, pollutants and particulate matter, which can penetrate the lungs and bloodstream, trigger systemic inflammation, exacerbate conditions like asthma and increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Smoke also contains a mix of harmful gases, most notably carbon monoxide. Wildfire smoke has been linked to respiratory and cardiovascular health problems, with children and teenagers, older adults, pregnant people and anyone with pre-existing heart or lung conditions at a particular risk.
SHOULD PEOPLE IN WILDFIRE SMOKE STATES WEAR A MASK?
When the Air Quality Index rises to unhealthy levels—as it has in Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Connecticut on Thursday—masks are recommended for people who must spend time outside. Respirator masks worn correctly may provide some protection against fine particles in the smoke, but they do not help with hazardous gases. Staying inside is considered the safest option, but those who must go outside can mitigate some risk by wearing a mask. N95 or P100 respirators are considered the most effective.
Key background
Scientists say climate change is creating hotter, drier conditions and longer fire seasons, increasing the likelihood of large, intense wildfires across North America. NASA says human-caused warming is driving more frequent and severe wildfire conditions in many regions, and that extreme wildfire activity has more than doubled worldwide over the past two decades. Research shows fire seasons in some areas are now more than a month longer than they were 35 years ago, and those larger fires also produce more smoke, allowing hazardous air pollution to travel hundreds or even thousands of miles and affect millions of people far from the flames.
BIG NUMBER
$394 billion to $893 billion. That’s the annual cost of wildfires in the United States each year, according to the Joint Economic Committee, including direct and indirect deaths and injuries, health impacts from wildfire smoke, income loss, watershed pollution and other factors.
further reading
A person views the Guadalupe River after flash flooding occurred along its banks on July 16, 2026 in Center Point, Texas. Flash floods swept across parts of Central Texas, prompting evacuations and triggering multiple water rescues.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images
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Brandon Bell/Getty Images
Dangerous floods are hitting South Central Texas — a region that just marked one year since more than 130 people died in catastrophic flooding. Gov. Greg Abbott says at least two people have died in the current emergency.
More than 230 rescues have been made, the governor said Thursday evening, adding that more than 2,350 responders and 1,400 vehicles have been deployed.
A wide swath of Texas is under flood alerts, from the Kerrville area south to Uvalde and beyond to Laredo. In parts of Uvalde County, muddy floodwaters covered roads and fields and rose nearly as high as houses’ rooftops, according to a video posted by Texas Department of Public Safety.
With heavy rains expected to continue into Friday, Abbott said Uvalde and Johnson City are at the greatest risk of life-threatening floods overnight.
“The people in that area need to be very cautious,” Abbott said.
In some cases, communities that endured flooding on Wednesday are being deluged once again.
“Showers and thunderstorms continue developing and moving into areas that are currently experiencing dangerous flooding conditions,” the National Weather Service office in San Antonio and Austin said.
NPR member stations in Texas are covering the floods. In some cases, residents tell reporters that flooding exceeds levels they saw in 2025.
In Kerrville, the city police department said in a noon update that while high water had mostly receded, the emergency is ongoing, with numerous road and bridge closures. The agency urged residents not to venture out.
“There is a lot of people driving around to take a look and that is not helpful,” the police said.
At least one summer camp has evacuated, according to the Texas Newsroom, and state lawmakers say they’re seeing an improved safety response to the floods, thanks to an increase in disaster resources such as funding for warning systems and flood mitigation.
The Guadalupe River rose at terrifying speed near Comfort, Texas, Thursday morning — from 5.46 feet at 5 a.m. CT to 37.05 feet at 8:05 a.m. — according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Flood sirens blared Thursday morning in the town, northwest of San Antonio that’s some 35 miles east of Camp Mystic.
“We have already had several vehicles swept away,” the Comfort Volunteer Fire Department said on social media, urging people to stay off the roads. It posted a video of fast-moving high water moving through a neighborhood.
“Even if the rain has stopped where you are, water levels are likely to continue surging throughout the day as runoff from upstream moves through our creeks and rivers,” the department said.
Gov. Greg Abbott warned that the flood will likely break records, in an area that’s historically prone to flooding.
“I want to give you a comparison: The Fourth of July floods last year had rainfall of 20.29 inches,” Abbott said, according to the Texas Newsroom. “The expected rainfall during this rainstorm is expected to be more than 30 inches.”
Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp, remains shut down after 25 campers and two counselors died last year — the result of a wall of water rushing down the Guadalupe River. They were among the more than 130 people who died across the Hill Country region.
More excessive rainfall is forecast across the Texas Hill Country Thursday, with the storm moving westward toward the Big Bend region on Friday, according to the National Weather Service.
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