Man charged over killing Muslim men in US New Mexico

HOUSTON - A 51-year-old man was detained and charged on Tuesday for murdering at least two of four Muslim men who were killed in separate ambush shootings in the past nine months in Albuquerque, the largest city of south western US state of New Mexico, authorities said.

Muhammad Syed, 51, was identified as the "primary suspect in the recent murders of Muslim men", Albuquerque police said Tuesday.

Syed was charged with murdering Aftab Hussein on July 26, and Muhammad Afzaal Hussain on Aug 1. Detectives connected the two cases using bullet casings found at the two scenes, according to a CBS News report.

Authorities believe the suspect may eventually be charged in the other two murders of Naeem Hussain on Aug 5 and Mohammed Zaher Ahmadi on Nov 7, said the report.

The suspect appears to have known his victims, police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation said.

It remains unclear the specific motive for the killings.

The police have "tracked down the vehicle believed to be involved in a recent murder of a Muslim man in Albuquerque", the city's police chief Harold Medina tweeted on Tuesday. "The driver was detained and he is our primary suspect for the murders."

Four Muslim men were killed in ambush shootings in the city since November and three of them were shot dead in 10 days, drawing national and international attention.

Albuquerque is on pace for another record-setting year of homicides, according to local media reports.