AUSTIN, TX – A 53-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen from Senegal killed two people and wounded 14 others during a shooting rampage at an Austin bar early Sunday morning, with federal investigators examining potential ties to international terrorism.
Austin police identified the gunman as Ndiaga Diagne, who was fatally shot by responding officers after opening fire on patrons at Buford’s bar in the city’s entertainment district around 1:30 a.m. Sunday. The attack occurred one day after the United States and Israel launched a massive military operation on Iran, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday.
According to two sources familiar with the investigation, Diagne wore a sweatshirt reading “Property of Allah” during the attack. FBI Acting Special Agent Alex Doran said Sunday there were indicators on the suspect and in his vehicle suggesting a “potential nexus to terrorism,” though he cautioned it was too early to determine the motive.
Federal investigators executing a search warrant at Diagne’s home found an Iranian flag and pictures of Iranian leaders, according to an official with direct knowledge of the investigation. Sources told CBS News that a Quran was discovered in the gunman’s vehicle, and multiple weapons were found in his SUV.
Multiple U.S. officials told CBS News that Diagne arrived in the United States in 2000 on a tourist visa, obtained a green card in 2006, and became a naturalized citizen in 2013. He spent time in New York before moving to Texas.
Two law enforcement sources said investigators believe Diagne had prior mental health episodes in Austin. Authorities are examining whether he was influenced by extremist ideology and looking into potential self-radicalization, while cautioning that he had documented mental health issues.
Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said officers received reports of a man shooting at the beer garden a little after 1:30 a.m. Sources told CBS News that Diagne drove around in an SUV, circling the block while shooting from the vehicle’s open window at people seated at an outdoor bar. He then exited the SUV and continued shooting as he walked up the street before being fatally shot by three responding police officers.
Fourteen people were hospitalized, with three in critical condition, according to Austin-Travis County EMS Chief Robert Luckritz. “We received a call at 1:39 a.m., and within 57 seconds, the first paramedics and officers were on scene actively treating the patients,” Luckritz said.
The Joint Terrorism Task Force, comprising the FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Austin police and state police, is handling the investigation. Officials are examining Diagne’s background and possible internet posts, sources said.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott directed the Texas Military Department to activate service members under Operation Fury Shield and ordered increased patrols and surveillance in downtown Austin’s 6th Street District. “To anyone who thinks about using the current conflict in the Middle East to threaten Texans or our critical infrastructure, understand this clearly: Texas will respond with decisive and overwhelming force to protect our state,” Abbott said in a statement.
The National Counterterrorism Center is working with partners in Austin, the FBI and local law enforcement to investigate any potential ties to foreign terrorism, according to an official from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. President Trump has been briefed on the shooting, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Sunday.
