A 17‑year‑old girl from North Carolina has been charged with murder by aiding and abetting after prosecutors say she recorded a livestream of a May 18 attack on the Islamic Center of San Diego that left three people dead.
In the indictment, prosecutors claim the teenager also published a manifesto from the two teenage gunmen who carried out the attack.
The teenager was arrested last week and was indicted by a grand jury on Monday by Forsyth County District Attorney Jim O’Neill.
Speaking at a news conference, O’Neill said: “The thought of her going back to school, with the weekend approaching, holy days approaching, we didn’t know what she was capable of.”
She now faces three murder charges and one count of conspiracy. Under North Carolina law, aiding and abetting can carry the same criminal responsibility as the perpetrator.
Investigators say the attack was carried out by two males – aged 17 and 18 – who opened fire before taking their own lives.
O’Neill said the pair had two aims that day: “Number one, to kill as many people as possible on that day. Second, they wanted this carnage and destruction recorded … livestreamed.”
A security guard, Amin Abdullah, exchanged gunfire with the attackers and initiated a lockdown that helped protect around 140 children inside the building.
Abdullah, along with worshippers Mansour Kaziha and Nader Awad, were fatally shot. San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl described Abdullah’s actions as “heroic” and said they “undoubtedly” saved lives.
The attackers used GoPro‑style helmet cameras to record the blast, and authorities say they planned further attacks at a local Jewish temple and a predominantly African‑American high school.
The teens had an arsenal of about 30 guns and a crossbow, taken from one of the shooter’s parents. They left behind writings containing racist and antisemitic views, referencing white‑supremacist ideology and citing the Christchurch mosque shootings of 2019 as a model.
