A 17-year-old girl from North Carolina has been charged with three counts of murder and one count of conspiracy for aiding the San Diego mosque attack by recording and livestreaming the shooting and publishing the attackers' manifesto, prosecutors said this week [1, 2, 3, 4].
The shooting occurred on May 18, 2026, at the Islamic Center of San Diego, where two teenage gunmen killed three men before dying by suicide [1, 3, 4]. The attackers, aged 17 and 18 and identified as Cain Clark and Caleb Vazquez, wore GoPro-style helmets to livestream the shootings [1, 3].
Security guard Amin Abdullah exchanged gunfire with the shooters and helped initiate a lockdown that protected around 140 children inside the mosque during the attack [1, 3, 4]. The attackers planned further attacks targeting a local Jewish temple and a predominantly African American high school, according to prosecutors [1, 3, 4].
The gunmen had an arsenal of about 30 guns and a crossbow, reportedly taken from one attacker's parents [1, 3]. They left behind racist and antisemitic writings linked to white supremacist ideology and cited inspiration from the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings in New Zealand [1, 3].
The indicted teenager, identified in court records as Sarah L. Santiago, allegedly helped by livestreaming the attack and publishing the attackers’ manifesto online [1, 2, 3, 4]. She also reportedly purchased a white supremacist patch for an attacker’s clothing [4]. Forsyth County District Attorney Jim O’Neill said the girl “didn’t have to be in California, she’s in our jurisdiction. And today, a grand jury indicted her and held her responsible for her actions leading up to that disastrous day in May” [4].
Under North Carolina law, aiding and abetting a crime carries criminal responsibility equivalent to that of the principal perpetrators even if the person was not physically present at the crime scene [1, 3, 4]. Prosecutors have conducted over 100 interviews, executed more than 30 search warrants, and reviewed over 4 million messages in their investigation [4].
O’Neill said, “Number one, to kill as many people as possible on that day. Secondly, they wanted this carnage and destruction recorded ... livestreamed.” He added, “Their plan that day was to commit mass murders not only at the mosque, but to follow up at a local Jewish temple. And finally, at a predominantly African-American high school there in town” [1, 4].
The grand jury indictment came Monday, August 31, after the girl’s arrest around August 24 [1, 3, 4]. Legal proceedings are expected to continue as authorities prepare for trial.
