A man arrested for a shooting spree in the central California city of Fresno in which three white men were killed saw himself as part of an ongoing race war, according to family and police. The suspect, a 39-year-old African-American named Kori Ali Muhammad, shouted "Allahu Akbar" -- "God is great" in Arabic -- as he was being taken into custody. But Fresno police chief Jerry Dyer said indications were it was not a "terrorist-related crime" and a probe was under way to determine if the murders qualified as a hate crime.


He said Muhammad, who used the alias "Black Jesus" and was wanted in the killing last week of an unarmed security guard outside a motel in the city, had indicated in postings on his Facebook page that he hated white people and the government.


"This was a random act of violence," Dyer said. "These were unprovoked attacks by an individual who was intent on carrying out homicides today." He said all the victims were white males and there was every reason to believe Muhammad had acted alone.