Teen Mosque Attackers Praised Hitler, Called For ‘Race War’ In Twisted Manifesto
The teenage suspects behind the deadly shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego reportedly authored a disturbing manifesto praising Adolf Hitler, glorifying mass killers, and calling for an “all-out race war” before carrying out their attack.
Authorities identified the suspects as Cain Clark, 17, and Caleb Vazquez, 18, who police say targeted the San Diego mosque during a violent rampage that left three adults dead, including a security guard, before the suspects died themselves.
According to federal investigators, the pair expressed hatred toward numerous racial, religious, and political groups while embracing extremist and neo-Nazi ideology.
“We also identified writings and various ideologies outlining religious and racial beliefs of how the world they envisioned should look,” said Mark Remily, head of the FBI’s San Diego field office. “They didn’t discriminate on who they hated.”
Law enforcement sources described the 75-page manifesto as deeply nihilistic and filled with Nazi symbolism, including references to the Black Sun associated with Nazi SS leader Heinrich Himmler and imagery tied to the extremist neo-Nazi organization Atomwaffen Division.
Investigators say the writings contained antisemitic, anti-Muslim, anti-gay, anti-liberal, and even anti-conservative rhetoric, portraying the suspects as radicalized extremists consumed by hatred and societal collapse fantasies.
Authorities said the manifesto referenced several notorious mass murderers and domestic terrorists as ideological inspirations, including Ted Kaczynski, Timothy McVeigh, and Anders Breivik.
Investigators believe Clark specifically expressed admiration for Hitler while calling for violence that would trigger the collapse of society and ignite racial conflict across the country.
Despite the mosque attack itself, authorities cautioned Tuesday that the investigation remains ongoing and that the suspects appeared motivated by broader extremist hatred rather than hostility toward only one specific group.
“I would say we’re still too early in the investigation to say that the Islamic Center of San Diego was the specific target,” Remily explained. “But again, what I can say is they definitely had a broad hatred towards a lot of folks.”
Police also revealed that investigators recovered roughly 30 firearms and a crossbow during searches tied to the case. Authorities believe the weapons belonged to the parent of one of the suspects, though investigators are still examining how the teenagers obtained access to them.
San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl praised the mosque security guard who was killed during the attack, saying his actions likely prevented an even larger massacre involving nearby children.
Authorities also disclosed that one suspect’s mother contacted police roughly two hours before the shooting to report her son missing, suicidal, and potentially armed with stolen firearms and a vehicle.
Officers responding to that report were still gathering information from the family when gunfire erupted at the mosque, prompting nearby officers to rush directly to the scene within minutes.
Police say the two suspects initially met online before eventually connecting in person after discovering they both lived in the San Diego area. Federal investigators are continuing to examine digital evidence and communications to determine how the pair became radicalized.