FBI: Austin bar shooter was motivated by support for Iran, but acted alone

Ndiaga Diagne, 53, wore T-shirt with Iranian flag design, sweatshirt reading ‘Property of Allah’ as he perpetrated deadly attack, hours after US-Israeli strikes killed Ali Khamenei on war’s first day

The gunman who killed three people and wounded more than a dozen others at a Texas bar in March seems to have perpetrated the attack without any outside direction, though his support for the Iranian regime was “most certainly” a factor in his motivation, the FBI said Thursday.

Ndiaga Diagne, 53, was wearing a T-shirt with an Iranian flag design and a sweatshirt reading “Property of Allah” when he opened fire outside Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden in downtown Austin, in the early hours of March 1.

A day earlier, the United States and Israel carried out waves of airstrikes in Iran on the first day of their war with the Islamic Republic, killing its supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, and other top officials.

In an update on its investigation into the Austin shooting, the FBI said that Diagne “admired the recently deceased Iranian leader.”

However, investigators have found no evidence so far that Diagne was radicalized by foreign actors, that he was associated with any foreign terror group, or that he received any direction, funding, or operational support for the shooting.

“Rather, the investigation indicates an escalation in violent behavior in part tied to specific personal triggers and grievances related to US and Israeli military actions involving Iran, culminating in a violent, impulsive attack,” the Bureau said.

“While Diagne’s affinity for Iran and the Ayatollah were most certainly factors in his mobilization to violence, the FBI has not identified conclusive evidence to explain Diagne’s motivation or how and why he selected the location for his attack,” it added.

The bar is located in downtown Austin’s popular hub of bars and nightclubs.

Diagne, 53, was born in Senegal. He first entered the US in 2000 on a tourist visa and became a lawful permanent resident six years later after marrying a US citizen, according to the Department of Homeland Security. He had never been the subject of an FBI investigation prior to the shooting.

Police said the gunman drove past the bar before circling back and firing the first shots from his SUV at people on the sidewalk and inside. He then parked, got out with a rifle, and began shooting at people walking along the street before officers rushed to the intersection and shot him.

Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis has said officers arrived within 56 seconds of the first 911 call and killed the shooter after he fired at police.

Killed in the attack were 21-year-old Savitha Shan, 19-year-old Ryder Harrington and 30-year-old Jorge Pederson.

The FBI said the investigation into the attack remains open.