A 17-year-old girl from North Carolina faces charges of murder by aiding and abetting following her alleged involvement in the deadly mosque shooting in San Diego. She reportedly recorded and shared a livestream of the attack, along with distributing the attackers’ manifesto.
Forsyth County District Attorney Jim O’Neill announced that Sarah L. Santiago has been indicted on three murder counts and one conspiracy count. Although Santiago was not present at the scene on May 18, she is accused of facilitating the spread of the attackers’ materials.
“She disseminated that information. And she published their manifesto,” stated O’Neill.
In the incident, Caleb Vazquez, 18, and Cain Clark, 17, targeted the Islamic Center of San Diego. Both gunmen entered the center with the intention to cause harm. They killed three men — Amin Abdullah, Nadir Awad, and Mansour Kaziha — who intervened to stop the attackers. Shortly after, Vazquez and Clark died by suicide near the scene.
Authorities disclosed that the mosque attack was part of a larger plan involving other locations, including a Jewish temple and an African-American high school in the area.
The indictment against Santiago claims she planned to distribute the livestream and manifesto and provided a white-supremacist patch for one of the attackers. O’Neill emphasized that Santiago faces charges applicable under North Carolina law since her actions were orchestrated from within the state.
“She didn’t have to be in California, she’s in our jurisdiction,” O’Neill remarked. He added that the grand jury has indicted her to hold her accountable for her role in the events leading up to the attack.
North Carolina law permits treating a 17-year-old accused of similar actions as an adult in legal proceedings.
The investigation into this case has been extensive, involving over 100 interviews, more than 30 search warrants, and analysis of millions of messages.
“Our investigation shows the individual had multiple opportunities to alert law enforcement about these actions, and the failure to do so must have consequences,” stated FBI Charlotte Special Agent in Charge Reid Davis.
Sophia Compton is a writer with Fox News Digital, previously covering finance, energy, and tourism. She holds a degree in journalism from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.