Teen indicted on murder charges in San Diego mosque attack over alleged role in promoting shooters’ online content
A 17-year-old from North Carolina has been indicted on murder charges in connection with the mass shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego earlier this year, after authorities accused her of conspiring with the gunmen and helping distribute their violent content online.
Forsyth County District Attorney Jim O’Neill announced Monday that a grand jury had returned an indictment charging Sarah Santiago with three counts of first-degree murder and one count of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. The charges stem from the May 18 attack that killed three people before the shooters — 17-year-old Cain Clark and 18-year-old Caleb Vazquez — died by suicide.
“The law in North Carolina is clear: a person may be guilty of a crime, although he or she personally does not do any of the acts necessary to constitute the crime,” O’Neill said at a news conference, explaining the legal theory behind the charges.
Authorities allege that Santiago agreed in advance to livestream the assault, broadcast the recording to the public, and release a manifesto written by the shooters. The indictment also claims she purchased and sent Vazquez a Sonnenrad patch — a symbol associated with neo-Nazi and white supremacist movements — which he wore during the attack.
“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 FBI’s North Carolina office. “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, said his client is innocent of all charges and noted that she is a juvenile. “At this time I can confirm that my client is innocent of all these charges,” Doorasamy wrote in an email to CNN. He added that he could not comment on evidence before receiving discovery.
Prosecutors said they arrested Santiago last week rather than waiting for a grand jury because they were uncertain what she might do next. “The thought of her going back to school” posed “too great a risk,” O’Neill said.
The attack on the Islamic Center of San Diego was the culmination of a plan that authorities say went beyond the mosque. Investigators found a manifesto covering “a wide aspect of races and religions,” hate speech scrawled on at least one weapon, and a suicide note containing writings about racial pride. The shooters are believed to have exchanged radicalized ideology for some time before the attack.
More than 30 guns, along with tactical gear, ammunition, a crossbow and electronics, were seized during searches of homes connected to the suspects. Clark’s mother had alerted police after discovering a suspected suicide note and realizing several weapons were missing from the home.
Vazquez had been enrolled in a mental health program until the day before the shooting, according to a federal law enforcement official. Records also show that law enforcement had previously filed a gun violence emergency protective order after Vazquez was placed on a psychiatric hold, citing concerns about behavior that included “idolizing Nazis and mass shooters.”
The Islamic Center of San Diego had already taken security precautions before the shooting, including building a fence, installing bulletproof windows, and conducting active shooter drills at its school. Officials credited the three men killed — security guard Amin Abdullah, Nadir Awad and Mansour Kaziha — with helping prevent an even larger tragedy. Abdullah engaged the shooters with gunfire before dying, while Awad and Kaziha drew attention away from the mosque toward the parking lot.
Following the mosque attack, the gunmen reportedly planned additional attacks at a Jewish temple and a predominantly African American school in San Diego. Federal law enforcement officials told CNN those plans may have been abandoned because one of the shooters had been wounded by the armed security guard at the mosque.
The case has drawn attention to the legal responsibility of those who amplify violent acts online, even when they are not physically present at the scene. Under North Carolina law, aiding and abetting a killing can carry the same murder charges as pulling the trigger.
This story has been updated with additional information.