Two people were killed and 14 others wounded Monday morning in a mass shooting at a packed bar in central Austin, Texas, near the University of Texas. The gunman was shot and killed at the scene by officers who arrived within less than a minute of the incident beginning.
According to CNN, law enforcement authorities are investigating whether the attack on Iran was the suspect's motive. Several law enforcement officials familiar with the investigation passed along that information, though they emphasized that it was too early to draw conclusions.
According to reports from authorities and US media, the suspect was identified as Ndiaga Diagne, 53, an American citizen born in Senegal who lived in Pflugerville, Texas. Law enforcement sources quoted by the New York Post said Diagne was a former New York City resident who became a naturalized US citizen in 2013 and filed an asylum request in 2016.
The shooting took place around 2:00 a.m. outside a popular bar in the entertainment district on Sixth Street. Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said the suspect was seen driving around the block several times before stopping in front of the bar, at which point he "began shooting from the front passenger window using a handgun, hitting customers seated on the front patio." He then got out of the vehicle and continued firing at pedestrians on the street, she added.
Two people and the gunman himself were killed at the scene. Emergency crews transported 14 wounded to nearby hospitals, three of whom were listed in critical condition.
The FBI announced that its Joint Terrorism Task Force had joined the investigation, and that a possible ideological motive was being examined. Alex Durán, the special agent in charge of the FBI's San Antonio field office, said it was "too early to determine the exact motive, but there were indicators on the suspect and in his vehicle pointing to a possible connection to terrorism."
According to sources quoted in a New York Post report, a Quran was found in Diagne's vehicle, and he was wearing a hoodie reading "Property of Allah." Reports also indicated he may have been wearing a tank top bearing an Iranian flag or Iranian symbols, and that one line of investigation is examining the possibility that he was motivated by the American-Israeli strike on Iran under Operation Roaring Lion.
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said, "Our hearts go out to the victims," and thanked the security forces who "arrived quickly at the scene and saved lives." Texas Governor Greg Abbott declared, "This act of violence will not define us," and warned that Texas would respond with "overwhelming force" to any threat to the state.
