ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A convicted murderer accused of killing Muslim men in Albuquerque two years ago may be changing his plea on his two other trials, and the family of one of the victims is speaking out. Muhammad Syed, who was convicted in March for the murder of 41-year-old Aftab Hussein, faces charges for the deaths of two other men, Muhammad Afzaal Hussain and Naeem Hussain.
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Muhammad Imtiaz Hussain, the brother of victim Muhammad Afzaal Hussain, said his brother was just 27 years old when he was shot and killed. “What I would like is only one thing: he should at least say why he has done that,” Imtiaz Hussain said. “It was very painful that this is the first incident of its kind. Three Muslim men with almost the same age, in their 20s and 30s, were killed within a span of ten days.”
Muhammad Afzaal Hussain came to the United States for a better life. He was a student leader and community activist, a loss his family feels deeply. “Losing that type of individual from both family and community is very painful,” Imtiaz added.
Syed’s trial for the murder of Afzaal Hussain was set to begin next week, but that could change. Syed’s attorney confirmed Wednesday that a judge has approved a change of plea hearing scheduled for next Tuesday involving the two other murder charges though the specifics of the plea deal have not been disclosed.
Imtiaz Hussain believes the outcome will likely remain unchanged due to the strong evidence against Syed in the first murder case turned conviction. “I think that has led him to plead guilty because the kind of evidence in the second and third murders is almost the same as in the first,” he said.
Despite the potential plea deal, the Hussain family remains focused on one thing: getting answers. “My question was what I was pursuing for the last two years. I needed to know what caused him to kill my brother. What caused him to kill these three people?” Imtiaz Hussain questioned.
In honor of his brother, Imtiaz Hussain has started a nonprofit organization aimed at helping build schools in communities in need, continuing the legacy of activism and community support his brother was known for.
“My brother is gone and he doesn’t have any kids. He was not married. So to remember his name and to fulfill his dream, I want to build a school in his name,” said Hussain. We have a link to the GoFundMe and the foundation here.
Muhammad Syed is already serving a life sentence for the murder of Aftab Hussain.
