He is now accused of killing Naeem Hussain, 25, who was shot as he sat in the driver’s seat of his white 4-Runner in a city parking lot on Aug. 5, Albuquerque police said in a news release. He had earlier in the day attended the funeral of Aftab Hussain and Mohammad Afzaal Hussain, police said. According to the indictment, Said was also charged with four counts of tampering with evidence. CNN reached out to Syed’s attorney, but has not heard back. The latest homicide charge comes after detectives found surveillance video showing a gray Volkswagen sedan “leaving the scene” after Naeem Hussain was shot, according to the release. He added that Syed is “also considered the prime suspect” in the assassination of Mohammad Ahmadi, which occurred on November 7, 2021. “Our homicide detectives continue to work with prosecutors to ensure justice is served for all victims in this tragic case,” Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina said in a statement. Said denied involvement in the killings during an interview with police earlier this month, according to an arrest affidavit. He was arrested Aug. 9 after a tip from the public led to police and FBI agents, authorities said. He was stopped by police while driving a Volkswagen Jetta near Santa Rosa, New Mexico, more than 100 miles east of Albuquerque. During a search of his home, authorities found firearms, as well as information indicating Syed may have known the victims “to some degree” and that interpersonal conflict may have led to the killings, police said in announcing his arrest. . One of the firearms found was linked to casings found at the scenes of the killings of Aftab Hussein and Muhammad Afzaal Hussain, and casings for a handgun found in his car when he was stopped were linked to one of the scenes, according to the arrest . Affidavit. According to police, Aftab Hussain was found with multiple gunshot wounds, lying next to a car. Detectives learned the gunman was waiting behind a bush near the road where the victim usually parks and fired multiple shots through the bush, according to a criminal complaint. Days later, officers responded to reports of shots fired and found Muhammud Afzaal Hussain with multiple gunshot wounds, the complaint states. A judge ruled Wednesday that Syed must remain in custody as he awaits trial. A judge also ruled that Syed’s son, Shaheen Syed, should remain in federal custody on a charge related to his father’s case. The younger Syed is accused of knowingly making false statements to investigators about the weapons and vehicle allegedly used in at least two of the killings. His lawyer, John C. Anderson, called allegations that his client might be connected to the killings “excessively thin and speculative.”
