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A 17-year-old North Carolina girl has been charged with murder by aiding and abetting after allegedly recording a livestream of the deadly San Diego mosque shooting and sharing the attackers’ manifesto.
Forsyth County District Attorney Jim O’Neill said Monday that the teenager, identified as Sarah L. Santiago in court records, was indicted on three murder counts and one conspiracy count, according to The Associated Press.
Although she was across the country during the May 18 attack, she allegedly recorded and helped distribute the attackers’ livestream and published their manifesto.
“She disseminated that information. And she published their manifesto,” O’Neill said.
Caleb Vazquez, 18, and Cain Clark, 17, stormed the Islamic Center of San Diego armed and intending to kill people inside, according to authorities.
The gunmen killed three men — Amin Abdullah, Nadir Awad and Mansour Kaziha — who confronted them and helped prevent further bloodshed.
The attackers later died by suicide in a vehicle nearby, police said.
Authorities said the mosque was one target in a broader attack plan.
“Their plan that day was to commit mass murders not only at the mosque, but to follow up at a local Jewish temple. And finally, at a predominantly African-American high school there in town,” O’Neill said.
The indictment alleges Santiago agreed before the attack to record and distribute the gunmen’s livestream and publish their manifesto. She is also accused of buying a patch bearing a white-supremacist symbol for one of the attackers to wear during the shooting, The Associated Press reported.
O’Neill said Santiago could face charges in North Carolina even though she was not physically present in California.
“She didn’t have to be in California, she’s in our jurisdiction,” O’Neill said. “And today, a grand jury indicted her and held her responsible for her actions leading up to that disastrous day in May.”
O’Neill noted that North Carolina law allows a 17-year-old accused of such conduct to be treated as an adult.
Authorities said the broader investigation has included more than 100 interviews, over 30 search warrants and a review of more than 4 million messages.
“Our investigation shows that the individual had multiple opportunities to come forward to law enforcement and alert us of these deliberate actions, and the failure to do so must have consequences,” FBI Charlotte Special Agent in Charge Reid Davis said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
