Senegal-born Ndiaga Diagne is at the center of an investigation after a mass shooting at Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden on Sixth Street in Austin, Texas, where two people died and 14 were wounded, as reported by multiple US outlets.
Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said Diagne fired from his SUV into the bar patio, then exited and continued shooting at pedestrians along a busy entertainment district near the University of Texas at about 02:00 local time, before officers confronted and fatally shot him within a minute.
Law enforcement sources described Diagne as a 53-year-old naturalized US citizen who became a citizen in 2013 and who had previously lived in New York after arriving in 2000, with arrests there and in Texas including a 2001 illegal vending arrest, according to US reports.
The FBI and Austin Police are treating the attack as a possible ideologically motivated act. Alex Doran, acting Special Agent in charge of the FBI’s San Antonio office, said it was too early to determine motivation but that indicators in the subject and his vehicle suggested a potential nexus to terrorism, as reported by US media.
Investigators and law enforcement sources told US outlets they found a Quran in Diagne’s vehicle and said he wore clothing with religious and possible Iranian symbolism. Officials are assessing whether those elements and recent reported strikes in Iran are connected to the attack, according to reporting. Austin Mayor Kirk Watson praised the rapid police response.
Regional And Domestic Senegal Stories
In Dakar, Senegal’s national basketball team beat Congo DR 75-56 in a FIBA World Cup qualifier, with Ibou Badji providing defensive presence and Brancou Badio finishing with 20 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, according to the official World Cup Qualifiers app and match reports.
On the diplomatic front, Senegal’s president condemned reported Iranian attacks that targeted the United Arab Emirates and expressed solidarity with the UAE, while His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed thanked Senegal for its supportive stance, according to a summary of the presidential call.
Economic and migration items tied to Senegal appeared in other reports. Spain plans a one-time legalization to grant residency to about 500,000 undocumented immigrants, a move one Senegalese applicant in Cordoba, Yakhouba Diaby, hopes will allow him to work legally while his asylum case is pending, as reported on February 26, 2026.
Investor coverage noted that Lagos-based Sahel Capital launched its Sahel Capital Agribusiness Fund II to invest across West Africa including Senegal, with Tosin Ojo outlining targets of $3 million to $15 million per deal and a $75 million fund target, and naming branded foods and sustainable packaging as priority areas.
