Austin Bar Shooting Investigated As Potential Terrorism
Police killed a 53-year-old gunman after he opened fire outside an Austin bar, killing two and wounding 14; the FBI is probing a possible terrorism link.
Western JournalWhat We Know About the African and Extremely Likely Jihadist Mass Shooter in Austin
Associated PressWhat to know about the deadly shooting at a Texas bar and the gunman
PBS NewsHourNews Wrap: FBI investigating Texas shooting as potential act of terrorism
Daily CallerPolice Chief Says Austin Bar Shooting Appears To Be Retaliation For US Iranian Strikes
Overview
Police shot and killed 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne after he opened fire outside Buford's Backyard Beer Garden on Sixth Street, killing two people and wounding 14, and the FBI is investigating the attack as a potential act of terrorism.
Authorities said the attack followed the U.S. and Israel launching an attack on Iran, and that the gunman wore clothing with an Iranian flag design and a sweatshirt reading "Property of Allah."
The FBI and Austin police said the suspect had not been on their radar and that investigators are reviewing thousands of hours of video and plan to interview more than 150 witnesses, officials said.
The two killed were 21-year-old Savitha Shan, a UT Austin student, and 19-year-old Ryder Harrington, who had been enrolled at Texas Tech; police said officers confronted the shooter within one minute and that the weapons were legally purchased in San Antonio.
Investigators said the probe is continuing around the clock, with the FBI's joint terrorism task force involved and the potential release of body-camera footage and additional information later this week.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame the shooting as a potential act of terrorism by foregrounding the suspect’s Iranian-flag clothing and the words “Property of Allah,” linking the attack to recent U.S.–Israel strikes, and emphasizing FBI “indicators.” Highlighting the suspect’s origin and immigration history strengthens a national-security narrative despite inclusion of witness detail as source content.
FAQ
The suspect was 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne, a Senegalese national and naturalized U.S. citizen residing in suburban Austin.
The two killed were 21-year-old Savitha Shan, a UT Austin student, and 19-year-old Ryder Harrington, a Texas Tech enrollee.
The gunman wore a sweatshirt reading 'Property of Allah' and clothing with an Iranian flag design, and the attack followed a U.S.-Israel strike on Iran; materials from his vehicle indicate a potential terrorism nexus.
Diagne entered the U.S. on a tourist visa in 2000, became a permanent resident in 2006, and a citizen in 2013. He had a 2022 misdemeanor arrest for collision with vehicle damage and legally purchased the guns in San Antonio in 2017.
Officers confronted and fatally shot the gunman within one minute of the attack starting, after he fired from his SUV and then exited with a rifle; the rapid response was aided by pre-existing presence due to weekend crowds.
