Teen attackers exposed deadly online radicalization, leaving behind livestreamed violence, extremist weapons, and hate-filled manifesto evidence.
Federal investigators are probing Monday’s deadly shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego after authorities identified the teenage attackers as 17-year-old Cain Clark and 18-year-old Caleb Vazquez.
Investigators say the gunmen broadcast their assault live and left behind a 75-page manifesto filled with white supremacist, antisemitic, Islamophobic, and extremist propaganda. The material was reportedly intercepted by researchers before being verified by law enforcement.
FBI officials confirmed that a physical manifesto was recovered and is now undergoing forensic analysis. The weapons used in the attack were reportedly covered with handwritten extremist codes, Nazi references, and names of previous international mass killers.
The manifesto allegedly promoted the “Great Replacement” conspiracy theory and praised past terrorists, including the Christchurch mosque murderer who killed 51 worshipers in New Zealand in 2019.
The attack has intensified concern over young extremists being radicalized online, where hate movements glorify mass violence and encourage copycat attacks. Authorities are now examining the suspects’ digital activity, ideology, planning, and possible links to wider extremist networks.
