FBI investigates Texas bar shooting that killed 2 and wounded 14 as
possible terrorist act
[March 02, 2026]
By JACK MYER, ALANNA DURKIN RICHER, JOHN SEEWER and
KATHLEEN RONAYNE
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A gunman wearing clothes with an Iranian flag
design and the words “Property of Allah” killed two people and wounded
14 early Sunday at a Texas bar, a law enforcement official told The
Associated Press. The FBI is investigating the shooting, which erupted a
day after the U.S. and Israel launched an attack on Iran, as a potential
act of terrorism.
Police in Austin shot and killed the gunman, who used both a pistol and
a rifle to carry out the attack, police said.
The shooting happened outside Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden just before
2 a.m. along Sixth Street, a nightlife destination filled with bars and
music clubs and only a few miles (kilometers) from the University of
Texas at Austin.
Nathan Comeaux, a 22-year-old senior, had spent the evening there with
friends and said the bar was “full of college students, probably mostly
UT kids, shoulder to shoulder, hundreds just enjoying their nights.”
The suspect drove past the bar several times before stopping and
shooting from the window of his SUV at people on a patio and in front of
the bar, according to Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis.
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, Davis said. Three of the injured were in critical condition
Sunday morning, she said.
The gunman was identified as 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne, the Department
of Homeland Security said in a statement.
A student witnesses the gunfire
Comeaux had left the bar to grab pizza at a food truck across the street
about 10 minutes before the first gunshots were fired. No one around the
pizza truck understood what was happening, he said, with some thinking
the noise was fireworks or a loud motorcycle.
Comeaux said he hid behind a bench for about a minute before getting
out, and he saw police officers running toward the scene. He pulled out
his phone to begin recording. That’s when more shots rang out. Comeaux
said he saw the suspect turn his gun on police before officers shot him.
He said he knows someone who was shot and guessed that many other UT
students do as well.
“The UT community has definitely been majorly affected by this,” he
said.
FBI says attack may be terrorism
Authorities haven't provided a clear motive for the attacks but found
“indicators” on the gunman and in his vehicle leading them to look into
the possibility of terrorism, said Alex Doran, the acting agent in
charge of the FBI’s San Antonio office.
“It’s still too early to make a determination on that,” Doran said
Sunday morning.
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Police investigate the site of a shooting at Buford's in Austin,
Sunday, March 1, 2026. (Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
via AP)
Diagne first entered the U.S in 2000 on a B-2 tourist visa and
became a lawful permanent resident six years later after marrying a
U.S. citizen, according to DHS. He became a naturalized U.S. citizen
in 2013, the department said. Diagne was originally from Senegal,
according to multiple people briefed on the investigation who spoke
on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to
publicly discuss the investigation.
The White House said President Donald Trump had been briefed on the
shooting.
Texas officials weigh in
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott warned that the state would respond
aggressively to anyone trying to “use the current conflict in the
Middle East to threaten Texas.”
University of Texas at Austin President Jim Davis said on social
media that some of those affected included “members of our Longhorn
family.”
“Our prayers are with the victims and all those impacted,” said
university President Jim Davis.
The entertainment district has a heavy police presence on weekends,
and officers were able to confront the gunman within a minute of the
first call for help, Davis said.
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson praised the fast response by police and
rescuers.
“They definitely saved lives,” he said.
The scene the following evening was quiet in the typically bustling
entertainment district amid downtown Austin’s hills and vintage
homes, including that of the governor, whose residence is just
blocks away.
Police had taped off several square blocks around Sixth Street,
while local police and federal agents, including ATF agents were at
the site, according to Austin police serving as sentries.
Unmarked law enforcement vehicles were coming and going, as were
firetrucks. Bystanders and news reporters and camera crews stood at
the corners outside the yellow tape, trying to catch a glimpse of
the activity.
There have been at least two other high-profile shootings in
Austin’s Sixth Street entertainment district within the past five
years, including one in the summer of 2021 that left 14 people
wounded. Although this weekend’s shooting doesn’t meet the
definition of a mass killing, there have been five of those so far
this year.
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