Overview
- Two teenagers attacked the Islamic Center of San Diego on May 18, 2026, killing three men who were credited with slowing the shooters and protecting about 140 children inside the mosque.
- A Forsyth County grand jury on Monday returned an indictment charging 17‑year‑old Sarah Lindsey Santiago with three counts of first‑degree murder and one count of conspiracy for allegedly livestreaming and disseminating the May attack.
- Prosecutors say evidence includes Signal messages, that Santiago was one of three people who watched the livestream, that she published the shooters’ manifesto, and that she purchased and sent a Sonnenrad white‑supremacist patch worn by a shooter.
- Under North Carolina law prosecutors are using an aiding‑and‑abetting theory that can carry the same penalties as the principals, exposing Santiago to life without parole in state court while separate federal penalties remain possible.
- The case is the product of a multistate probe that used more than 100 interviews, over 30 search warrants and a review of more than 4 million messages, and investigators say the inquiry is ongoing as they seek other possible participants and viewers.