Attaque mortelle au Texas :Ndiaga Diagne avait exprimé des opinions favorables au pouvoir iranien
The suspected perpetrator of the shootings that killed two and injured 14 on Sunday in Austin, Texas, had expressed "pro-Iranian regime views" on social media, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors jihadist groups.
His identity has not been confirmed by authorities, but he has been identified by this organization and several American media outlets as Ndiaga Diagne, an American citizen of Senegalese origin. He was shot dead at the scene by police officers.
A photo shared on X by Texas Republican congressman Chip Roy shows the suspect armed with a rifle and wearing a sweatshirt that reads "property of Allah".
According to the SITE Intelligence Group, Ndiaga Diagne had expressed "pro-Iranian regime views and hatred towards Israeli and American leaders" in Facebook posts shared between 2017 and 2019, and had posted a photo of himself holding what appears to be an assault rifle.
Occurring on Saturday night near a bar in a busy area of downtown Austin, the capital of Texas, the attack left at least two dead and 14 injured.
Three of them were still in critical condition Sunday morning, authorities said.
The FBI had earlier on Sunday suggested it could be "an act of terrorism".
"It is still far too early in the investigation to determine a precise motive, but there were elements on the suspect and in his vehicle that indicate a potential link to terrorism," said Alex Doran, an official with the FBI's San Antonio office, during a press conference, without giving details on the nature of these elements.
White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt announced on X that Donald Trump was being kept informed of the situation.
- Fear of reprisals -
The attack occurred hours after the launch on Saturday of an intense Israeli-American strike campaign against Iran, which notably killed the country's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, and fueled fears of retaliatory attacks in the United States.
FBI Director Kash Patel announced that he had placed his counterterrorism and intelligence teams "on high alert".
"To anyone who would consider using the current conflict in the Middle East to threaten Texans or our critical infrastructure, let one thing be clear: Texas will respond with decisive and overwhelming force to protect our state," Republican Governor Greg Abbott said in a statement released after the Austin attack.
Texas authorities announced Saturday that they would deploy military reservists to "protect citizens and critical infrastructure from any potential threat of retaliation."
Austin police chief Lisa Davis said at a news conference Sunday that law enforcement received a call at 1:58 a.m. reporting shots fired around Buford's, a bar located on a busy street in the city.
Police officers arrived quickly on the scene and "were confronted by the armed individual, and three of our officers returned fire, killing the suspect," she said.
She indicated that the assailant, who was travelling in an SUV, first opened fire on customers of the establishment through the window of his vehicle.
He then stopped, got out, and began shooting passers-by in the street before being shot dead by police.
"There is no doubt in my mind that the quick response of the police and our emergency medical personnel (...) made the difference and saved lives," Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said during the press conference.
Speaking of an event "that caused significant trauma to (his) city", the mayor offered his "thoughts" to the victims and their families.
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