The deepest fears of San Diego’s religious communities were realized in Islamic Center shooting

As an elementary school student at the Islamic Center of San Diego in the early aughts, Sarah Youssef said, she doesn’t remember there being guards on patrol or gates keeping out danger.

SAN DIEGO — As an elementary school student at the Islamic Center of San Diego in the early aughts, Sarah Youssef said, she doesn’t remember guards being on patrol or gates keeping out danger.

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But Youssef, now a college freshman who leads a local gun violence prevention group, said she remembers when the center hired Amin Abdullah to guard the facility. Many were comforted by his presence but also concerned about what it signified.

Years later, community members’ — and Abdullah’s — deepest fears came to pass.