Three people killed after shooting by two teenage suspects at mosque in San Diego, California

Three people have been killed after two teenage suspects carried out a shooting at an Islamic centre in San Diego, California.

The suspects are both dead, and it is understood they took their own lives.

One of the victims was a security guard, according to police, and all three were adult males.

San Diego's police chief, Scott Wahl, said authorities were treating the shooting, which took place at 11.43am local time (7.43pm UK time), as a hate crime but are still investigating a motive.

Mr Wahl added that the security guard was likely to have prevented further loss of life. He said the suspects, aged 17 and 18, were discovered dead in a vehicle in the middle of the street.

"We do believe the security guard was able to help at least minimise the situation to the front area of the mosque," Mr Wahl said.

"At this point, I think it's fair to say his actions were heroic... undoubtedly, he saved lives today."

The Islamic Center of San Diego, around nine miles (14km) north of the downtown area, is the largest mosque in San Diego county, according to its website.

Aerial footage showed more than a dozen children holding hands and being walked out of the building's car park, surrounded by police vehicles.

The children, who were unharmed, were inside the mosque's school during the violence.

Suspect's mother called police

The mother of one of the suspects called police on Monday morning and said her son, her firearms and her car were missing, Mr Wahl said.

At a news conference, San Diego mayor Todd Gloria insisted that any hate-inspired violence would be met with the "full force" of local law enforcement.

"Hate has no home in San Diego. Islamophobia has no home in San Diego. We will not stand for it," he added.

Trump and Starmer respond

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump described the scenes in San Diego as a "terrible situation".

Sir Keir Starmer called the deadly attack "intolerable", adding that "many Muslims in the UK will be shaken by this".

"Violence like this does not happen in a vacuum. It grows in an environment where division and anti-Muslim hostility are normalised," he wrote in a post on X.

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A few streets away, additional shots were also fired at a landscaping firm. Less than a quarter of a mile away from this location, officers found a vehicle in the middle of the street with two teenagers inside, believed to be the suspects, Mr Wahl said.

Both are believed to have died by self-inflicted gunshot wounds, he added.

An imam at the mosque, Taha Hassane, said the centre had never experienced a tragedy like Monday's shooting before, and he said it was "extremely outrageous to target a place of worship".

Monday was the first day of Dhul Hijjah, the last month of the Islamic calendar and one of its most sacred periods.

(c) Sky News 2026: Three people killed after shooting by two teenage suspects at mosque in San Diego, California