Sarah Lindsay Santiago Indicted on 3 Murder Counts in San Diego Mosque Attack Plot
Updated
Updated · NBC San Diego · Aug 31
Sarah Lindsay Santiago Indicted on 3 Murder Counts in San Diego Mosque Attack Plot
3 articles · Updated · NBC San Diego · Aug 31
Summary
Forsyth County prosecutors indicted 17-year-old Sarah Lindsay Santiago on three murder counts and conspiracy, alleging she helped two teenage gunmen plan the May 18 attack on the Islamic Center of San Diego.
Investigators said Santiago coordinated the planned livestream, later released the attackers’ manifesto, and sent the hate-filled patches the shooters wore during the assault.
Three men — Amin Abdullah, Mansour Kaziha and Nadir Awad — were killed after the gunmen opened fire outside the mosque and school, where nearly 150 students were inside before the attackers killed themselves nearby.
Authorities said Santiago was arrested before the grand jury acted because they did not know what she was capable of; she will be tried as an adult on terrorism-related charges.
Officials called the shooting ideologically motivated and said the gunmen had also planned attacks on a Jewish temple and a predominantly Black high school, underscoring concerns about online youth radicalization.