Son of suspect in Muslim killings reaches plea deal

The son of a man charged in multiple fatal shootings of Muslim men in Albuquerque has reached a plea deal with federal prosecutors that could result in his release from custody, court records show.

Shaheen Syed, 21, has agreed to plead guilty to a federal firearms charge in exchange for a sentence equal to time he has already served in federal custody, according to a motion filed in U.S. District Court of New Mexico.

The deal also would require Syed to serve three years of supervised release, according to the motion filed by Syed’s attorney, John Anderson.

Anderson asked a judge to set a plea and sentencing hearing. No hearing has been scheduled.

In August, U.S. Magistrate Judge John Robbenhaar ordered Syed held in federal custody while awaiting trial for allegedly providing a false address when he purchased a firearm in 2021.

The federal charge against Shaheen Syed alleges that he falsely reported a Florida address on a federal form when he purchased a military-style rifle.

Syed’s father, Muhammad Atif Syed, 51, was arrested Aug. 9 on two open counts of murder in the shooting deaths of Aftab Hussein, 41, on July 26, and Muhammad Afzaal Hussain, 27, on Aug. 1.

A grand jury indicted Muhammad Syed on Aug. 19 on three counts of first-degree murder, adding the Aug. 5 shooting death of Naeem Hussain, 25, to the two earlier killings.

Police and prosecutors say they are investigating Muhammad Syed as a suspect in a fourth killing – that of Mohammad Ahmadi, 62, who was found shot to death behind an Albuquerque market he owned with his brother.