An American imam called a shooting that left five people dead at an Islamic centre in San Diego, California, on Monday “extremely outrageous.”
“We have never experienced a tragedy like this before,” Taha Hassane, who serves as director of the Islamic Centre of San Diego, where the incident occurred, told reporters.
Authorities said Monday that three victims and two suspected shooters were killed in a shooting incident at the centre.
Expressing support for the community, Hassane said all places of worship in the city, including mosques, should always be protected.
“It is extremely outrageous to target a place of worship. Our Islamic centre is a place of worship. People come to the Islamic centre to pray, to celebrate, to learn, not only Muslims, but we have people from all walks of life,” he said.
He said that the morning before the incident, a group of non-Muslims came to the centre “just to learn about our faith and our culture.”
“So this (attack) is something that we never expected,” the imam added.
He expressed deep gratitude for the people “who contacted us from all over the country, and even from overseas to give condolences,” and to those who offered help.
