Austin Shooting Suspect’s Iran Ties Shock Community After 3 Killed

An empty apartment in Pflugerville, Texas, shows an Iranian flag and portraits of regime leaders pinned to the wall, contrasting with a US passport and green card on the table.

Ndiaga Diagne, 53, a Senegal-born naturalized US citizen, lived in Pflugerville, Texas. He entered the US in 2000 on a tourist visa, became a permanent resident in 2006 through marriage, and gained citizenship in 2013. His only prior arrest was a 2022 vehicle collision charge.

A muzzle flash erupts from a dark car's window on Austin's Sixth Street. Patrons outside Buford's Backyard Beer Garden begin to react in shock as the attack begins.

Shortly before 2 a.m. Sunday, outside Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden on Sixth Street, Austin, Diagne turned on his hazard lights, rolled down his window, and fired a pistol from his car at people on the patio and sidewalk, hitting multiple victims.

The gunman, now on foot with a rifle on Wood Street, wears a "Property of Allah" sweatshirt and an Iranian flag undershirt. Pedestrians flee in terror behind him.

Diagne then drove west to Wood Street, parked, and stepped out with a rifle. He kept shooting at pedestrians on foot. He wore a “Property of Allah” sweatshirt and an Iranian flag undershirt. He never entered the bar. 3 were killed and 14 wounded.

Austin police officers in a tactical semicircle aim their weapons at the suspect, who lies dead on the pavement. Emergency lights wash the scene in red and blue.

Austin police quickly responded and shot Diagne dead. He had used both a pistol and a rifle. Police Chief Lisa Davis said he first fired from his vehicle, then continued on foot. 3 people died and 14 were injured in the Sixth Street attack.

An FBI agent's gloved hands carefully place the Iranian flag and framed regime portraits into evidence bags on a table, documented under bright forensic lights.

Authorities searched Diagne’s Pflugerville apartment and found an Iranian flag and photos of Iranian regime leaders. Along with the “Property of Allah” sweatshirt and flag undershirt he wore, investigators began examining possible ideological motives behind the mass shooting.

FBI Acting SAC Alex Dorn and Police Chief Lisa Davis hold a press conference. A screen displays the suspect's photo as the shooting is declared a potential act of terrorism.

The FBI called the shooting a possible act of terrorism. Acting SAC Alex Dorn said there were “indicators” on the suspect and in his vehicle suggesting a terrorism link. The Joint Terrorism Task Force joined the case. UT Austin’s president expressed deep sadness and praised first responders.