Police arrest 'primary suspect' in killings of four Muslim men in New Mexico

US police hunting the killer of four Muslim men in a New Mexico city said on Tuesday they have arrested their "primary suspect" in the case.

Detectives in Albuquerque had appealed for public help in cracking the mystery behind the violent deaths of the men, all of whom were from South Asia.

The appeal came after the discovery on August 5 of a body near an office providing services to refugees.

A 27-year-old man was found on August 1, less than a week after the police began investigating the murder of a 41-year-old.

The November killing of an Afghan man in the city was also being probed for a likely connection.

Police this week issued a photograph of a car they believed could have been used by the killer.

Albuquerque police chief Harold Medina took to Twitter on Tuesday to announce a possible breakthrough.

"We tracked down the vehicle believed to be involved in a recent murder of a Muslim man in Albuquerque," he wrote. "The driver was detained and he is our primary suspect for the murders".

The spate of killings had set nerves on edge in the city's Muslim community.

"Now, people are beginning to panic," Tahir Gauba, the director of public affairs with the Islamic Center of New Mexico, told the Albuquerque Journal.

President Joe Biden weighed in at the weekend, pledging unity and support.

"I am angered and saddened by the horrific killings of four Muslim men in Albuquerque," the US president said on Twitter.

"While we await a full investigation, my prayers are with the victims' families, and my Administration stands strongly with the Muslim community. These hateful attacks have no place in America".