17-Year-Old North Carolina Girl Charged Over Role in California Mosque Attack

A 17-year-old girl in North Carolina faces the possibility of life in prison without parole over her alleged role in a mosque shooting that killed three people in San Diego.

A grand jury indicted her on suspicion of aiding and abetting the May 18 attack by recording it and distributing a live video. Forsyth County District Attorney Jim O’Neill said prosecutors pursued state charges because North Carolina allows the girl to be tried as an adult.

The state case carries a far heavier potential penalty than federal charges. If convicted in North Carolina, she could receive life in prison without parole, while federal charges could result in a sentence of three or four years.

The three men killed at the Islamic Centre of San Diego were remembered for helping stop further violence while 140 children were inside the mosque’s school. Security guard Amin Abdullah, 51, caretaker Mansour Kaziha, 78, and Nadir Awad, 57, the husband of a teacher at the centre, were hailed as heroes at a memorial service.

The alleged attackers, Caleb Vazquez, 18, and Cain Clark, 17, killed themselves during the attack, according to the account.