The FBI is investigating a shooting that killed two people and injured 14 others at a bar in Austin, Texas, in the early hours of March 1 as a “potential act of terrorism,” according to AP News.
A law enforcement official described the suspect as “wearing clothes with an Iranian flag design and the words ‘Property of Allah,’” the outlet reported.
In a March 1 press conference, Austin Police Department’ Police Chief Lisa Davis said the suspect initially drove in an SUV several times around the block near the bar, Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden, which is close to the University of Texas, right before 2 a.m. local time.
Davis said the suspect eventually “put his flashers on, rolled down his window, and began using a pistol shooting out of his car windows, striking patrons of the bar that were on the patio and that were on the front of the bar.” The suspect drove to a nearby street and parked his car, exited the vehicle with a rifle, and began shooting again at people walking nearby, she said.
Police officers were already about “55-56 seconds” away from the scene, a proximity that helped to save multiple lives, Davis said. Police officers and EMS were stationed nearby for weekend crowds. Police responded and shot the suspect at the scene. The Austin Police Department confirmed the suspect to be deceased.
In the press conference, Alex Dorn, acting special agent for the FBI’s San Antonio Field Office, also praised the “rapid response” of the police officers who responded to the shooting.
Commenting on the investigation into the suspect’s motives, Dorn said, “Obviously, it's still way too early in the process to determine an exact motivation, but there were indicators on the subject and in his vehicle that indicate potential nexus to terrorism. Again, it’s still too early to make a determination on that, that’s why we’re investigating it very closely with our partners with Austin Police Department.”
The Austin Police Department identified the suspect as 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne. AP News reported that Diagne became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2013. Several federal law enforcement sources told FOX News that Diagne was born in Senegal and lived in Pflugerville, a town about 17 miles from Austin.
Austin Police has identified the West Sixth Street shooting suspect as Ndiaga Diagne.
— Austin Police Department (@Austin_Police) March 2, 2026
The investigation is ongoing.
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La policía de Austin ha identificado al sospechoso del tiroteo en la calle 6 oeste como Ndiaga Diagne.
La investigación sigue en curso. pic.twitter.com/bxLZP8NVfo
DEADLY RAMPAGE: The FBI says the downtown Austin, Texas, shooting that killed three people and wounded 14 others was “potentially an act of terrorism.”
— Fox News (@FoxNews) March 1, 2026
Federal law enforcement sources tell FOX News the suspect is a 53-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen born in Senegal.
FOX News… pic.twitter.com/slFi8Ay8k1
Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said in a March 1 statement that he and his wife Cecilia are praying for the victims of the attack.
“Texas mourns with the families and loved ones of those who were horrifically killed in last night’s attack in Austin,” Abbott said.
He added that he is in contact with Austin’s mayor and Director of the Texas Department of Public Safety and “have offered the full support of the State of Texas to ensure all assistance and resources are deployed.”
The shooting comes one day after President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. launched “major combat operations in Iran,” an Israeli-U.S. military offensive called “Operation Epic Fury,” as Zeale News reported. Abbott issued a warning in his March 1 statement about the shooting in light of the Middle Eastern conflict.
“To anyone who thinks about using the current conflict in the Middle East to threaten Texans or our critical infrastructure,” Abbott said, “understand this clearly: Texas will respond with decisive and overwhelming force to protect our state.”