San Diego Mosque Shooters Radicalized Online

Caleb Liam Vazquez, one of two shooters who killed three people at the San Diego Islamic Center earlier this week, had been flagged for concerning behavior and radicalization before the attack. According to court records obtained by The Los Angeles Times, Chula Vista police got a court order in January 2025 to remove Vazquez's father’s numerous firearms after concerns about his mental health arose.

Vazquez, 18, was undergoing mental health treatment in the days before Monday’s deadly attack. His parents stated that he had been caught up in a web of online hate and had made repeated voluntary trips to rehabilitation treatment centers. Police acted after being alerted to his writings on social media, using a 2014 law enacted after Elliot Rodger gunned down six people in Isla Vista, Calif.

The law allows police, family, and friends to get a judge to issue a gun violence restraining order to prevent an individual from getting access to firearms. According to the San Diego Superior Court records, Vazquez was placed on a 5150 hold—where a person is deemed a danger to themselves or others and involuntarily detained for 72 hours—and his father refused to allow officers to confirm if firearms were stored properly.

In writings reviewed by The Los Angeles Times, Vazquez advocated for the destruction of the political system and 'all-out race war for the purpose of societal collapse.' The family said he voluntarily spent time in multiple rehabilitation centers, but ultimately it was not enough. They encouraged him to seek help and he spent time in rehabilitation centers, according to a statement released through their attorney Colin Rudolph.

The FBI was alerted to Vazquez’s behavior, though the agency did not comment on its knowledge of him. The family said they are 'deeply sorry for the pain and devastation caused' and that their son’s actions 'do not reflect the values we raised our family with or the beliefs we hold in our hearts.'

A friend of the San Diego mosque shooters, identified only as 'Kaiser,' told The Daily Mail that Vazquez had sick fantasies of 'raping to death' an anime schoolgirl and was obsessed with a fictional character from a Dutch animated TV show called Mymy. Kaiser also revealed that Clark, the other shooter, was 'closeted gay' and had been in a mental hospital twice.

Kaiser met the two shooters in a TikTok group for neo-Nazis last February and shared video recordings of his text conversations with them. He described how Vazquez and Clark planned their attack for over a year, initially targeting a Jewish synagogue before attacking the Islamic Center of San Diego on May 18.

The FBI special agent in charge of the Bureau's San Diego Field Office, Mark Remily, stated that they are 'determined to uncover all the facts associated with this incident' and are interviewing family and friends of the shooters. The investigation is ongoing as authorities work to understand the full extent of the radicalization and planning behind the attack.