A New Mexico judge detained the son of the man suspected of killing at least two of four Muslim men in Albuquerque.
Judge John Robbehaar ordered that Shaheen Syed, 21, be detained, pending trial, after hearing evidence from federal authorities during a detention hearing where Syed was denied bail, Reuters reported.
Syed, who Robbehaar said “represents a danger to the community,” was already in custody, facing separate charges involving an alleged incorrect address in a firearms transaction record for a weapon bought last year, NBC News reported.
Shaheen Syed is the son of Muhammad Syed, 51, who is accused of killing Aftab Hussein, 41, and Muhammad Afzaal Hussain, 27, on July 26 and Aug. 1, respectively. Muhammad Syed is also a suspect in the slaying of Naeem Hussain, 25, on Aug. 5 and Mohammad Ahmadi, 62, on Nov. 7, 2021.
The older Syed, who was arrested on Aug. 9, has only been charged with murder for two of the four killings. Syed told authorities he was not involved in shooting them, per court documents reported by CBS News.
New Mexico police said they had reason to suspect all four deaths within a nine-month period were connected after Naeem Hussain was killed, the Washington Examiner previously reported. All four men were shot, and police believe the four killings are linked to intra-Muslim sectarian hatred, Reuters reported.
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Authorities brought evidence such as cell tower data before Robbehaar on Monday, stating that the towers allegedly connect Shaheen Syed’s phone to his father’s, placing them in the vicinity of where Naeem Hussain was slain, NBC News reported. He allegedly held short conversations with his father before and after the killing took place, according to court documents.
A gun was also found in the younger Syed’s bedroom after police conducted a search of the family’s home. It is unclear whether the gun is connected to the slayings, NBC reported.
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The attorneys for Shaheen Syed stated the information is “hardly clear and convincing evidence” and that the state cannot use a cursory investigation as a reason to detain Syed for a crime for which he is not charged, NBC News reported.
