Photo: Alamy
Authorities said they discovered an Iranian flag and photographs of Iranian regime leaders inside the apartment of the gunman responsible for a mass shooting outside a bar in Austin, Texas, early Sunday morning.
According to CBS News and federal law enforcement sources, the items were found during a search of the suspect’s residence following the attack that left three people dead and 14 wounded.
The suspect, identified as Ndiaga Diagne, 53, was a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Senegal who lived in Pflugerville, Texas. Law enforcement reported that Diagne first entered the United States in 2000 on a B-2 tourist visa, became a lawful permanent resident in 2006 after marrying a U.S. citizen, and was naturalized in 2013. His prior criminal history included a 2022 arrest in Texas for a vehicle collision involving property damage.
Investigators said Diagne was wearing a sweatshirt reading “Property of Allah” and an undershirt displaying an Iranian flag during the attack.
The shooting occurred shortly before 2 a.m. outside Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden along Sixth Street, a popular nightlife area near the University of Texas at Austin.
Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said the gunman initially fired from inside his vehicle.
“He 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 in front of the bar,” Davis said. The suspect then parked, exited with a rifle and continued firing at pedestrians before being shot and killed by police. He did not enter the bar, officials said.
Federal Bureau of Investigation officials said the attack is being investigated as a possible act of terrorism. Alex Dorn, acting special agent in charge of the FBI’s San Antonio Field Office, said there were “indicators on the subject and in his vehicle that indicate potential nexus to terrorism,” but cautioned that it is too early to determine a motive.
The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force is assisting in the investigation.