New Facts: FBI Links Mosque Shooters to Online Radicalization

Investigators determined the two teens who carried out the May 18 attack, Cain Lee Clark, 17, and Caleb Liam Vazquez, 18, met online and were radicalized there. A manifesto and other writings were recovered that targeted multiple racial and religious groups. The texts echoed white supremacist themes and referenced the 2019 Christchurch mosque gunman, and the pair later met in person after realizing they lived in the same area.

Agents executed three search warrants at homes tied to the teens. They seized more than 30 guns, a crossbow, ammunition, tactical gear, and electronic devices. The firearms were not registered to the suspects and belonged to a parent of one of them.

Investigators are reviewing the devices and online activity, including reports that the attack was livestreamed. They have not concluded whether the Islamic Center was specifically targeted. At the SUV where the teens died, officers noted a gas can marked with the Nazi SS lightning-bolt symbol.

AI-synthesized from multiple reported sources