There’s no evidence the Austin, Texas, mass shooting suspect is ‘Israeli’

A gunman killed two people and wounded 14 others during a March 1 attack on an Austin, Texas, bar, and officials are exploring whether the shooting could be connected to U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran.

As investigators sought information about the shooter’s motive, an X post with more than 662,000 views shared footage of the attack and an unfounded theory about his background. 

"BREAKING: Israeli shooter opened fire inside an Austin bar," the March 1 X post said, adding disparaging comments about Jewish people.

This claim conflicts with early reporting about the suspect. No credible evidence of an Israel connection has emerged as of early evening March 2.

Austin police identified the suspect, who was killed by police, as Ndiaga Diagne, 53. 

PolitiFact asked multiple agencies — the Department of Homeland Security, the Austin Police Department and the FBI — about the suspect’s country of origin, but received no replies. Diagne was a native of Senegal, according to multiple news outlets that quoted unnamed U.S. officials.

Diagne entered the U.S. on March 13, 2000, on a B-2 tourist visa, a DHS spokesperson said. In June 2006, he became a lawful permanent resident based on marriage to a U.S. citizen. He became a naturalized U.S. citizen on April 5, 2013. 

DHS said Diagne was arrested in Texas in 2022 for a collision with vehicle damage, without specifying the arrest’s location. PolitiFact searched Texas’ public database for Diagne’s possible convictions, but found none. 

The FBI is investigating whether the shooting was a terrorist attack. Photos obtained by news outlets showed the suspect wearing a hoodie that said "Property of Allah" over a bloody shirt with a design of the Iranian flag. 

The investigation is ongoing.

Based on currently available information, we rate the X post’s claim that the shooter was Israeli False.