{"id":236200,"date":"2026-05-19T01:01:17","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T01:01:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/236200\/"},"modified":"2026-05-19T01:01:17","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T01:01:17","slug":"san-diego-mosque-where-mass-shooting-left-3-dead-has-controversial-history-including-ties-to-9-11-hijackers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/236200\/","title":{"rendered":"San Diego mosque where mass shooting left 3 dead has controversial history \u2014 including ties to 9\/11 hijackers"},"content":{"rendered":"

The San Diego mosque that was targeted in a horrific mass shooting<\/a> Monday made headlines for being \u201cbest known as the home to two 9\/11 hijackers,\u201d while its current imam has justified the Oct. 7 terror attacks in Israel.<\/p>\n

Three people, including a security guard<\/a>, were killed when a pair of gunmen opened fire on the Islamic Center of San Diego<\/a> Monday. The suspected shooters were later found dead by suicide in a BMW.<\/p>\n

The motive for the shooting was not immediately known. San Diego police said \u201cthe threat has been neutralized.\u201d<\/p>\n

First responders outside of the Islamic Center of San Diego after the mass shooting on May 18, 2026. California Post\/Denis Poroy<\/p>\n

Three people were killed after a pair of gunman opened fire at the mosque. AP Photo\/Gregory Bull<\/p>\n

Previously, the Islamic Center of San Diego made headlines<\/a> for its connection to Sept. 11, 2001, hijackers Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Mihdhar.<\/p>\n

Both hijackers reportedly prayed at the mosque and found an apartment nearby through advertisements at the mosque while taking flight lessons in the city.<\/p>\n

More recently, Imam Taha Hassane has come under fire for his comments on the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThis did not start last week or on October 7. This is the result of brutal Zionist occupation and genocide,\u201d Hassane said in a video posted to social media days after the savage Hamas attack.<\/p>\n

\u201cResistance is justified when people are under occupation and don\u2019t let them change that narrative.\u201d<\/p>\n

Imam Taha Hassane speaking in a video update on the shooting. Islamic Center of San Diego<\/p>\n

Hassane\u2019s wife and daughter have also been under fire for inflammatory rhetoric.<\/p>\n

Selma Hassane<\/a> has \u201cpromoted incitement, spread hatred of Israel, engaged in anti-Israel activism and is a supporter of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement,\u201d according to watchdog group, Canary Mission<\/a>.<\/p>\n

His wife, Lallia Allali, allegedly posted graphic images of a \u201cJewish star murdering babies with \u2018the devil is killing\u2019\u201d scrawl in the wake of the Oct. 7 attacks, according to watchdog group StopAntisemitism<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Police officer securing the scene of the shooting. Denis Poroy for CA Post<\/p>\n

A body covered by a tarp at the Islamic Center of San Diego. AP Photo\/Gregory Bull<\/p>\n

Two men consoling each other after the mass shooting. REUTERS<\/p>\n

A family passing under police tape after leaving the mosque. REUTERS\/Mike Blake<\/p>\n

The group accused Allali of leading the Palestinian Youth Movement, \u201can entity tied to the anti Israel protests occurring all over the U.S. these past few weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Neighbors told The Post that there was tension between the mosque and the local community \u2014 which includes a nearby Hebrew language charter school.<\/p>\n

The relationship between the school and mosque \u201cgrew uncomfortable,\u201d said the mom, adding that Imam Hassane transformed from \u201cvery moderate and friendly.\u201d<\/p>\n

One parent said \u201cproblems\u201d have sprung up in the wake of the Oct. 7 attacks, when the mosque called the police claiming vandalism when the K-8 school hung hostage posters across the street.<\/p>\n

\u201cHassane was supposed to bridge all the communities, but quickly became a hostile figure,\u201d journalist and local mom Stella Escobedo said.<\/p>\n

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