Authorities are examining whether the man who killed two people and injured 14 others at a packed Austin bar early Sunday was driven by anger over US military action in Iran, according to officials briefed on the case. Police identified the gunman as 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne, a naturalized US citizen from Senegal with a prior history of mental health encounters, reports the Washington Post. He was wearing a hoodie reading "Property of Allah" over a shirt with an Iranian-flag design, and investigators say a Quran was later found in his SUV. The FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force is treating the case as a possible act of terrorism, though officials stress the motive is not yet settled.
Police say Diagne repeatedly drove past Buford's Backyard Beer Garden in Austin's Sixth Street district before firing a pistol from his vehicle just before 2am, hitting people on the patio. He then parked, grabbed a rifle, and began shooting at fleeing patrons, authorities say. Police have not yet identified the victims. A witness told the AP the bar had been mostly "full of college students." Officers shot and killed Diagne at the scene. Investigators currently see no evidence he was acting under orders from groups tied to Iran. The attack comes as law enforcement nationwide is on edge following US and Israeli strikes on Iran. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ordered stepped-up patrols, warning anyone who uses "the current conflict in the Middle East to threaten Texans" will face "decisive and overwhelming force."
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