The man behind Sunday’s bloody massacre at a crowded Austin bar was a former New York City resident who wore an “Allah’s Property” hoodie and may have been seeking retaliation for U.S. attacks on Iran, law enforcement sources told The Washington Post.Ndiaga Diagne, the 53-year-old Texas gunman who opened fire at a Buford backyard beer garden near the University of Texas at Austin, had a Quran in his car and may have been wearing an undershirt emblazoned with an Iranian flag or other Iranian symbols, according to people familiar with the matter.A chilling newly released photo shows Austin mass shooter Ndiaga Diagne holding a rifle and wearing a hooded sweatshirt emblazoned with “Properties of Allah.”Diagne, 53, a former New York City resident and immigrant from Senegal, opened fire early Sunday in a backyard beer garden in Buford, Texas, killing two people and injuring 14 others.The bizarre photo shows Diagne with his mouth open, wearing camouflage pants and holding a black long gun in his right hand.Diagne is a U.S. citizen from Senegal who was naturalized in 2013 and applied for asylum in 2016, sources said.He also has a history of arrests in New York City and Texas. He is believed to have lived in New York for many years, arriving in 2000 before being arrested multiple times between 2001 and 2016, sources said.In 2001, he was arrested for illegal trafficking. Three other city busts of his have been sealed, sources said.“Obviously it’s too early to determine the exact motive, but there are signs in this incident and in the vehicle that point to potential ties to terrorism,” Alex Doran, acting special agent in charge of the FBI’s San Antonio field office, told reporters.The attack took place at around 2 a.m., closing time at the popular nightclub as hundreds of people were preparing to go home.Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said Diagne’s large SUV was spotted driving around the block several times, then parked in front of the bar and began firing a handgun out of the front window, hitting patrons in the front yard.He then parked his car, got out and began shooting at people walking by on the street, the chief said.Less than a minute after the first shots were fired, officers confronted the gunman at a Sixth Street intersection and shot him, police said.The two victims and the gunman died on the spot. Emergency crews transported 14 other patients to nearby hospitals, three of whom were in critical condition.“Our hearts go out to the victims and I want to once again thank the public safety officers and officers who responded quickly to the scene; they literally saved lives,” said Austin Mayor Kirk Watson.“This act of violence will not define us and will not shake the resolve of Texans. For anyone who would think of exploiting the current conflict in the Middle East to threaten Texans or our critical infrastructure, please understand this clearly: Texas will respond with decisive and overwhelming force to protect our country,” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement.
