Exclusive | Read excerpts from the teen shooters’ manifesto revealing horrifying motives behind the San Diego mosque shooting

Nypost · May 19, 2026 · 813 words · By Joe Marino; Ross O'Keefe; Zain Khan

Domestic Terrorism Hate Crimes Extremist Ideology

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What to know about Domestic Terrorism

Read excerpts from the teen shooters’ manifesto revealing horrifying motives behind the San Diego mosque shooting See more of our coverage in your search results.

Claims checked 9

Techniques found 1

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center80%

Right20%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Read excerpts from the teen shooters’ manifesto revealing horrifying motives behind the San Diego mosque shooting See more of our coverage in your search results.

Why it matters

Add The New York Post on GoogleA shocking manifesto filled with racial and ethnic hatred linked to the teen terrorists who killed three people at the Islamic Center of San Diego is being reviewed by law enforcement, The California Post has learned.

Common ground

The manifesto, co-authored by 17-year-old Cain Clark and 19-year-old Caleb Vasquez, includes the same Nazi imagery that Clarke donned in a livestream video of the horrific attack — the Black Sun and Atomwaffen symbols linked to Nazi Germany sympathizers.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Domestic Terrorism story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that The manifesto, co-authored by 17-year-old Cain Clark and 19-year-old Caleb Vasquez?
How does this story connect Domestic Terrorism with Hate Crimes over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/19/us-news/manifesto-reveals-motive-behind-islamic-ce…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 9 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

info Single Source 3

check_circle Corroborated 2

verified Verified By Reference 2

verified Verified 1

help Insufficient Evidence 1

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Claim 1: “The manifesto, co-authored by 17-year-old Cain Clark and 19-year-old Caleb Vasquez”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources identify the shooters as Cain Clark (17) and Caleb Vasquez (18/19). While the manifesto's co-authorship is implied by the identification of both as gunmen in the context of the attack, the names and ages are corroborated across multiple search results.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — On May 18, 2026, a shooting occurred at the Islamic Center of San Diego (ICSD), the largest mosque in San Diego, California, United States. Two teenage gunmen fatally shot three men—a security guard a…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Islamic_Center_of_San_Die…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 56th Annual GMA Dove Awards presentation ceremony was held on Tuesday, October 7, 2025, at the Bridgestone Arena located in Nashville, Tennessee. The ceremony will recognize the accomplishments of…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/56th_GMA_Dove_Awards

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of notable American non-officeholders who endorsed Donald Trump for the 2024 U.S. presidential election.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Donald_Trump_2024_pres…

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 2: “SurfaceLevel — which is also the username of Clarke’s Venmo account”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The search results provided are about the biblical figure Cain and Project 2025; they do not mention a Venmo account for the shooter Cain Clark.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Project 2025 (also known as the 2025 Presidential Transition Project) is a political initiative published in April 2023 by the Heritage Foundation with the goal of reshaping the U.S. federal governmen…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_2025

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web search NEUTRAL — Cain[a] is a biblical figure in the Book of Genesis within Abrahamic religions. He is the elder brother of Abel, and the firstborn son of Adam and Eve, the first couple within the Bible. [1] He was a …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cain

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web search NEUTRAL — Apr 9, 2026 · What happened to Cain in the Bible? Genesis covers Cain’s birth, murder of Abel, exile, children. But the Bible is mute about his death.
https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-topics/bi…

+ 1 more evidence source

verified

Claim 3: “the same Nazi imagery that Clarke donned in a livestream video of the horrific attack — the Black Sun and Atomwaffen symbols”

VERIFIED

A web search result specifically mentions a livestream video of the attack showing Cain Clark with a Black Sun symbol on his chest, and Wikipedia confirms the Black Sun is associated with Nazi Germany.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — David Ernest Duke (born July 1, 1950) is an American former politician, white supremacist, neo-Nazi, conspiracy theorist, and former grand wizard of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. From 1989 to 1992,…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Duke

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Jack Michael Posobiec III ( pə-SOH-bik; born December 14, 1984) is an American alt-right political activist, television correspondent, conspiracy theorist, and former United States Navy intelligence o…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Posobiec

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Proud Boys is an American far-right, neo-fascist militant organization that promotes and engages in political violence. The group's leaders have been convicted of violently opposing the federal go…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proud_Boys

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 4: “teen terrorists who killed three people at the Islamic Center of San Diego”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web search results and a Wikipedia entry confirm that two teenagers killed three people at the Islamic Center of San Diego on May 18, 2026.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — San Diego ( SAN dee-AY-goh; Spanish: [san ˈdjeɣo]) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. It is the eighth-most populous city in the U.S. …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Diego

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Islamic Center of Irvine is a mosque and Islamic community center founded by the Muslims of Irvine, California, on August 28, 2004. The mosque has one of the largest congregations in California, w…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_Center_of_Irvine

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 5: “The account specifically features artwork of the gaming character Ashley Graves with the Black Sun symbol”

SINGLE SOURCE

While evidence confirms the existence of the Black Sun symbol and the character Ashley Graves, there is no evidence linking them to Cain Clark's specific accounts.

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web search NEUTRAL — Black Sun (alchemy), a sun in alchemical and Hermetic traditions. Black Sun (sculpture), a sculpture by Isamu Noguchi. Black Sun (symbol), used by neo-Nazis and other far-right groups.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Sun

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web search NEUTRAL — Ashley graves. Discover Pinterest’s best ideas and inspiration for Ashley graves. Get inspired and try out new things. 327k people searched this.
https://www.pinterest.com/ideas/ashley-graves/956807997205/

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web search NEUTRAL — The following are the artworks featuring Ashley released by Nemlei on Steam. They're considered non-canon.
https://coffin-of-andy-and-leyley.fandom.com/wiki/Ashley_Gra…

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Claim 6: “Clark’s online Steam gaming profile also beared imagery with references to fascism and Nazi slogans, under the username SurfaceLevel”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The search results for this claim are generic username search tools and unrelated Wikipedia entries. No evidence was found confirming Cain Clark's specific Steam profile 'SurfaceLevel' or its content.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The DC Extended Universe (DCEU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is based on characters that appear i…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DC_Extended_Universe

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The economic history of the United States spans the colonial era through the 21st century. The initial settlements depended on agriculture and hunting/trapping, later adding international trade, manuf…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_history_of_the_United…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Republican Party, also known as the Grand Old Party (GOP), is a right-wing to far-right political party in the United States. It emerged as the main rival of the Democratic Party in the 1850s, and…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_Party_(United_State…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 7: “Other photos on the Steam profile include far-right Spanish politician José Antonio Primo de Rivera, a screengrab of German soldiers in formation during World War 2, and at least one piece of artwork with Adolf Hitler’s face overlaid over a Black Sun”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found for this claim in the provided search results.

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Claim 8: “Both shooters mention livestreaming the attack using a GoPro”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence refers to the Christchurch and Buffalo shootings, not the San Diego shooting. There is no evidence provided that the San Diego shooters mentioned a GoPro in a manifesto.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — A still from the live stream before the gunman begins his horrific attack. New Zealand shooting UPDATES: Gunmen kill 40 in Christchurch mosque attacks. He then drives to the mosque listening to folk m…
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/new-zealand-shootin…

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web search NEUTRAL — Gendron was fully armed during the shooting, allegedly carrying an assault rifle, wearing tactical gear, and carrying a camera he used to livestream the shooting. More to that, the suspect has purport…
https://sputnikglobe.com/20220515/social-media--crime-will-l…

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web search NEUTRAL — He livestreamed the attack on Twitch and published a manifesto stating that he was inspired by Tarrant and others including Crusius and Earnest respectively. In response, Acting Chief Censor Rupert...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christchurch_mosque_shootings

info

Claim 9: “law enforcement sources told The Post that investigators have a copy of the manifesto and believe it to be written by the shooters”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence for this claim refers to the 2022 Buffalo shooting, not the San Diego shooting. There is no evidence in the provided text confirming law enforcement's possession of a manifesto specifically for the San Diego case.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — On May 14, 2022, a mass shooting occurred in Buffalo, New York, United States, at a Tops Friendly Markets supermarket in the East Side neighborhood. Ten people, all of whom were black, were murdered, …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Buffalo_shooting

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web search NEUTRAL — The 180-page manifesto circulating online included the alleged shooter’s name, described the attack plans and matched statements from law enforcement.
https://cufi.org/issue/manifesto-attributed-to-buffalo-shoot…

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web search NEUTRAL — After the shooting, “law enforcement became aware of a manifesto attributable to the alleged killer,” said Stephen Belongia, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Buffalo field office.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/buffalo-suspect-was-inspired-by-n…

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.