A woman whose actions prompted a lockdown at a San Diego mosque has continued posting frantic Instagram videos while authorities search for her.
Ala Jaarah, who identifies herself as an “investigative journalist,” triggered Tuesday’s lockdown at the Islamic Center of San Diego after police received a report that a woman was experiencing a severe mental health crisis.
Authorities were concerned she might be armed. Witnesses, however, said she briefly spoke with a security guard before leaving the area in her vehicle.
Officers converged on the mosque and expanded the search perimeter, while nearby schools went into lockdown. Police also visited other mosques to increase security.
Jaarah later uploaded footage of the encounter to Instagram. In the video, she appears to run toward the mosque out of breath and tells a security guard that someone is “trying to kill me.”
She says police are pursuing her because she was “talking about Palestine.” “I’m scared,” she says in the clip. “I need protection.”
She then runs through the parking lot shouting, “You guys need to wake up. Wake up!”
By 4 p.m. Tuesday, the San Diego Police Department said Jaarah was no longer in San Diego County and notified law enforcement agencies in the area where she was last believed to be. The mosque’s lockdown ended, and the Islamic Center reopened for evening prayers.
Police said they were looking for Jaarah, who was believed to be driving a gray 2015 Toyota 4Runner bearing New York license plate KGN3027.
On Wednesday morning, she reposted a news report about the search and shared video showing an interaction with San Diego police during what appeared to be a traffic stop.
In the footage, Jaarah refuses to lower her window despite officers’ orders and then appears to drive away from the stop.
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Early Wednesday, Jaarah also posted from outside the mosque and confronted a news reporter, accusing the journalist of promoting false narratives. Dani Miskell of ABC 10 News rejected the allegation that the organization was spreading misinformation.
Miskell responded in the comments beneath Jaarah’s early-morning post.
“I spoke with the Imam at the Islamic Center of SD about this situation with running into you this morning. Just know that our presence outside the mosque this morning was because we care about your community, and I hope you’re ok,” she wrote.
Several commenters said Jaarah was receiving mental health support, while the San Diego mosque reportedly invited her to return.
Jaarah also shared another user’s comment about her encounter with police. The post claimed the San Diego Police Department had received a cease-and-desist notice over several alleged civil rights violations and included a message of support for Jaarah.
On Tuesday, Jaarah also posted video that appeared to show her inside a store selling firearms and tactical equipment.
“Get yourselves ready. Protect yourselves because no one is going to protect you,” she wrote in the caption.
The Islamic Center had previously been the scene of a mass shooting on May 18. Authorities said Caleb Vazquez and Cain Clark opened fire at the mosque after writing anti-Muslim hate messages on their weapons before taking their own lives.
According to WBAL-TV, 17-year-old North Carolina student Sarah Lindsey Santiago was charged with three counts of first-degree murder and one count of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in connection with the hate-motivated attack.
Prosecutors allege she agreed before the attack to livestream the massacre, distribute the recording publicly, and release the gunmen’s manifesto.
The California Post reached out to Jaarah for comment.