Details from an FBI investigation into the March 1 shooting on West Sixth Street revealed no evidence that the gunman was affiliated with or radicalized by a terrorist group, the agency said. Instead, investigators said the man appeared motivated by “personal triggers” related to ongoing military action in Iran.
The shooter, 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne, killed 19-year-old Ryder Harrington, 30-year-old Jorge Pederson and 21-year-old Savitha Shanmugasundaram, and injured 15 others at Buford’s bar using weapons he had legally purchased years earlier. The attack is being considered an “impulsive” act, according to an FBI news release issued Thursday.
Diagne, who investigators said acted alone, was shot and killed by police officers about five minutes after he began shooting, the FBI said.
The shooting occurred one day after the United States began missile strikes on Iran and was initially investigated for a “potential nexus to terrorism.” This link stemmed, in part, from the clothing that Diagne was wearing, which included a sweatshirt with the words “property of Allah” and a shirt with the Iranian flag.
“Diagne’s affinity for Iran and the Ayatollah were most certainly factors in his mobilization to violence,” the FBI said in its release, referencing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a joint American-Israeli operation.
Diagne was born in Senegal and became a U.S. citizen in 2013. Investigators said they still have no conclusive evidence explaining a specific motive for the shooting or why Diagne chose that exact location in Austin’s busy entertainment district.
Ten weeks into the investigation, roughly 400 personnel, including agents from 14 field offices, have reviewed more than 3,000 videos, processed more than 150 million digital files and conducted 88 interviews, the FBI said.
Federal investigators say they are continuing to work with the Austin Police Department as the investigation remains ongoing.
“The FBI will continue pursuing every lead to better understand what led up to the shooting in hopes of identifying any potential indicators that could help prevent future acts of violence,” the agency said.
