FBI probes terror motive for fatal Austin bar shooting

The FBI was investigating a Sunday mass shooting in Austin, Texas as a potential act of terrorism, Special Agent Alex Dorn said Sunday. Two victims were killed and 14 injured when a suspect fired at people outside Buford’s, a beer garden in the city’s entertainment district. Three of the wounded were in critical condition, officials said. The attack came the day after the United States began a large-scale U.S. military operation in Iran, which Texas governor Greg Abbott said he supported.

Austin police identified the suspect, shot dead by police, as Ndiaga Diagne, age 53. Items found on the suspect and in his vehicle suggested links to terrorism, Dorn said. He wore a shirt with an Iranian flag design and the words “Property of Allah,” a law enforcement official told the Associated Press. Diagne was a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Senegal in west Africa, according to the outlet.

Texas governor Abbott ordered extra law enforcement patrols in downtown Austin on weekends in response to the shooting. The day before, he also had increased security at ports, borders, and critical energy facilities, he said.

How did the shooting unfold? Just before 2 a.m., a large SUV drove around the block several times, according to Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis. The driver stopped, rolled down his window, and began firing a pistol at patrons of the restaurant who were outside on the patio. The driver then proceeded to a nearby street, got out of his car, and fired at more people walking nearby, Davis said. 

Officers fatally shot the suspect as he approached them on East 6th Street, Davis said. Police and emergency workers arrived on the scene in less than one minute, Davis said. Their actions saved lives, she said.

What do we know about the victims? Some of them were connected to the nearby University of Texas, and appeared to be students, according to a statement from the university.

Dig deeper: Read Daniel Devine and Travis K. Kircher’s report on those killed so far in the Iran operation.