Keir Starmer condemns San Diego mosque attack, warns against anti-Muslim hostility
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UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has condemned the deadly shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego, saying many Muslims in the UK would feel shaken and fearful following the attack.
Three people were killed on Monday after two teenage gunmen opened fire outside the mosque in the Clairemont district of San Diego before later dying from self-inflicted gunshot wounds, according to authorities. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and local police are investigating the incident as a hate crime.
In a message posted on social media, Starmer expressed sympathy with the victims and said violence against Muslims does not occur in isolation.
“I condemn the deadly attack on a mosque in San Diego. My thoughts are with those affected,” he wrote.
Starmer added that many Muslims in the UK would now be concerned about their safety while attending mosques or going about their daily lives.
“I know many Muslims in the UK will be shaken by this, worried about their safety when going about their lives and attending mosque, and what it says about the times we're living in,” he said.
The British prime minister also warned that anti-Muslim hostility had become normalised in some environments and called for unity against division and hate.
The San Diego mosque shooting comes during a period of growing concern over gun violence in the United States. The attack, along with recent targeted shootings involving state legislators in Minnesota, has renewed attention on mass shootings across the country. According to data from the Gun Violence Archive, more than 150 mass shootings have been recorded in the US so far this year.