Albuquerque, NM –
A man convicted of first-degree murder earlier this year in the shooting death of a Muslim man, Aftab Hussein, has entered no-contest pleas to two additional counts of second-degree murder.
Muhammad Syed, 53, pleaded no contest on Tuesday, September 3, in the deaths of Muhammad Afzaal Hussain and Naeem Hussain. Muhammad Syed murdered both men in Albuquerque in 2022. The victims were not related.
Syed was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the first-degree murder conviction. The no-contest pleas carry a 15-year sentence each, which will run consecutively to each other and concurrently with his life sentence.
The killings of the three Muslim men had sparked fear and outrage in the community. Consequently, authorities arrested Syed in August 2022 and charged him with the murders.
Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman said “Syed is 53-years-old. He will spend the rest of his life in prison and will never again be a threat to this community. Our prosecutors, David Waymire and Jordan Machin worked tirelessly on these cases in an effort to bring some justice and closure to family members of the victims. Syed will be 83 years old before he could even appear before a parole board. He will never walk out of prison.”
You can read about our coverage on the murdered men and manhunt for Syed below:
–ABQ Law Enforcement is on the Hunt for the Muslim Hunter(s)
–Suspect in Muslim Killings being Detained at Police Headquarters
–Murder Suspect of Muslim Killings is Booked into Jail
–Son of Muslim Murderer Charged Federally for Lying on Gun Purchase Application
Isn’t he Muslim, too?
Yes, ma’am. He allegedly is a Sunni Muslim, based on our research and what acquaintances told the media. However, during the press conference following Syed’s arrest, APD Commander Kyle Hartsock was asked about this, but he did not confirm the information when asked. After Syed’s detention, police released a statement indicating that there was reportedly evidence suggesting Syed may have had some level of familiarity with the victims. They went on to say that the murders might have been driven by personal disputes and reported sectarian animosity. However, in March of 2024, after Syed was found guilty of first-degree murder of 41-year-old Aftab Hussein, the Deputy District Attorney David Waymire for the Bernalillo County DA’s office said “we were not able to uncover anything that we would indicate would be a motive that would explain this.”
If the victims are labeled Muslim men then, in this case the person making the deal should also be referred to as a Muslim man.