r men before taking their own lives in a vehicle nearby. They left behind rambling writings full of vitriol against a wide range of people, and cited the shooter who killed 51 people at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 2019, as one of the models for their violence.

Clark and Vazquez also planned subsequent attacks on two other targets: a Jewish temple and a predominantly Black high school, O'Neill said. He credited the guard and other victims at the mosque with having saved countless lives.

The attackers' writings cited a range of far-right ideological inspirations, including the notion that white people are being replaced by other populations, and detailed their motives and goals. They included hateful rhetoric toward Jewish people, Muslims and Islam, as well as the LGBTQ+ community, Black people, women, and the political left and right.

They indicated they were trying to accelerate the collapse of society. Vazquez wrote of having  some mental health issues  and being rejected by women.

In a written statement, the Vazquez family said Caleb Vazquez was on the autism spectrum and had grown to resent parts of his identity. The family said they believed that, combined with exposure to hateful rhetoric online, contributed to his radicalization.

Tazheen Nizam, executive director of the San Diego office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim civil rights group, said it is essential to hold everyone involved in such attacks accountable.

 We as a community need to invest in dismantling anti-Muslim hate,  Nizam said.

Santiago's arrest came just days before classes were to begin for the new school year, O'Neill said.

 The thought of her going back to school … we didn't know what she was capable of,  he said.