After learning a suspect had been arrested in the murders of four Muslim men in Albuquerque, the Islamic Center of New Mexico held an interfaith prayer service to honor the slain.

Hundreds attended the Aug. 9 vigil held hours after police arrested Muhammad Syed in connection with two of the four murders.

“This is the beauty of Albuquerque this is why I’m proud to say I grew up in this city,” Tahir Gauba, public relations director for the Islamic Center of New Mexico, told KOB 4 this week.

Syed is charged with the July 26 shooting of Aftab Hussein and the Aug. 1 shooting of Muhammad Afzaal Hussain, the Albuquerque Police Department (APD) said in the KOB 4 report. Officials linked Syed to those two cases through bullet casings recovered at the respective crime scenes and a gun recovered during a search. 

Naeem Hussain, 25, and Mohammad Ahmadi, 62, were also ambushed by an unknown suspect.

Representatives from the Jewish, Christian, Sikh and many other local faith groups spoke at the vigil for the four Muslim men killed. The central themes were love and tolerance.

Members of the Islamic Center offered gratitude for the support they have received during the ordeal.

“What made it better and made a difference are friends like you, so thank you so much for your support,” Aneela Abad, general secretary of the Islamic Center of New Mexico, told the crowd. “Continue to do that, because that is what makes us better humans. We are hurting right now because our young brilliant stars, shining stars, young men died for no reason.”

With a suspect behind bars, the community can begin to heal. 

“Albuquerque Muslim community will sleep in peace tonight,” Gauba said.