Teen Charged with Murder for life streaming Santiago Mosque Attack

A 17-year-old girl who allegedly livestreamed the San Diego mosque shooting last May—an attack that left three men dead—now faces murder charges, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The three men killed in the attack have been credited with helping prevent even greater bloodshed at a time when approximately 140 children were at the mosque’s school. The victims—security guard Amin Abdullah, 51; caretaker Mansour Kaziha, 78; and Nadir Awad, 57, the husband of a teacher at the Islamic Center of San Diego—were hailed as heroes at a memorial service.

On May 18, Cain Clark, 17, and Caleb Vazquez, 18, stormed the Islamic Center of San Diego before being driven back outside by Abdullah, who exchanged gunfire with the attackers while initiating a lockdown. His actions helped protect the 140 children who were only steps away from the shooting.

The attackers killed Abdullah and two other men before fleeing and later taking their own lives in a nearby vehicle.

Sarah Lindsey Santiago was arrested last week and is now facing three counts of murder and one count of conspiracy. The 17-year-old North Carolina girl allegedly recorded a livestream of the shooting and subsequently published a white-supremacist manifesto written by the attackers. She has been charged with murder under an aiding-and-abetting theory, according to the district attorney.

Forsyth County District Attorney Jim O’Neill said that, under North Carolina law, aiding-and-abetting charges carry the same potential penalties as if the defendant had committed the attack herself. Santiago is being charged as an adult and was being held without bond.

According to the indictment, Santiago agreed before the attack to record the livestream as the gunmen carried it out, distribute the recording, and release a document written by the attackers. Prosecutors allege that she followed through on those plans.

O’Neill also said that Clark and Vazquez had planned subsequent attacks on two other targets: a Jewish temple and a predominantly Black high school. He credited Abdullah and the other victims at the mosque with helping to prevent additional deaths.

White Supremacist Groups Are Unhappy with the Indictment

White-supremacist groups have reportedly criticized the indictment, arguing that Santiago is being treated too harshly and is “only a child.”

I respectfully disagree.

Being 17 does not automatically shield someone from responsibility for serious criminal conduct. In the United States, a 17-year-old can, depending on state law, obtain a driver's license, work in certain jobs, enter some contracts, consent to sexual activity under applicable state law, marry under certain circumstances, and—most importantly in this case—be prosecuted as an adult for certain serious crimes.

Santiago did not have to pull the trigger to potentially bear responsibility for what happened.

History has taught us that responsibility for terrible crimes can extend far beyond the person who physically commits the killing. Adolf Hitler did not personally carry out the Holocaust, yet his personal responsibility for the genocide is beyond dispute.

Criminal responsibility is not always limited to the person who physically commits the final act. In many circumstances, the law recognizes the responsibility of people who knowingly participate in, aid, encourage, or facilitate a crime.

The person who pulls the trigger may be the one holding the gun, but that does not necessarily make that person the only one responsible.

According to prosecutors, Santiago had an opportunity to make a different choice. Instead, she allegedly agreed to help the attackers broadcast their violence, distribute their propaganda, and amplify their message.

If those allegations are proven in court, then her role was not that of an innocent bystander. She allegedly made a conscious decision to participate in a deadly act of hate and violence.

Three men lost their lives that day. More lives could have been lost had Abdullah and the other victims not acted courageously to protect the children inside the mosque.

North Carolina student Sarah Lindsey Santiago indicted after recording and sharing livestream of the attack that killed 3 on May 18
 

https://x.com/RT_com/status/2094806164118618397?s=20

For me, the central question is simple: If the evidence proves that Santiago knowingly helped facilitate the attack, why should she escape responsibility simply because she did not pull the trigger?

Let the courts determine her guilt and impose the maximum punishment permitted by law if she is convicted.

Mahmoud El-Yousseph is a Palestinian freelance writer and retired U.S. Air Force veteran. He writes about U.S. foreign policy, Middle Eastern affairs, and justice.