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Indian-American student shot dead in Texas, FBI probe Iran link in murder
The shooter was reportedly identified as 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne and was wearing clothes with an Iranian flag design and the words “Property of Allah".
New revelations have surfaced in the deadly shooting at a crowded bar in Austin, Texas, that reportedly left three people dead, among them a 21-year-old Indian-American student named Savitha Shan.
While cops are yet to point out the motive behind the shooting, the suspect's possible links to Iran have emerged. The shooter was identified as 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne and was wearing clothes with an Iranian flag design and the words “Property of Allah," at the time of the shooting, news agency AP reported, citing a law enforcement official.
According to a BBC report, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is looking at a likely "nexus of terrorism" in the case and a potential link to the ongoing conflict between the US and Iran.
Savitha Shan was one of the three victims of the shooting, and the other two were identified as 19-year-old Ryder Harrington and 30-year-old Jorge Pederson.
What was the shooter's motive?
Sixth Street, a nightlife hub full of bars and clubs, not so far away from the flagship campus of the University of Texas system, was rocked by violence on Sunday after the shooter opened fire after driving past Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden.
Students, who constituted a big part of the crowd there, ducked for cover and ran to save themselves as the suspect fired on others with a rifle before being fatally shot by the police.
However, the motive behind the shooting remains unknown as both the FBI and police in Austin have said that it was too soon to ascertain it.
According to university President Jim Davis, the pistol and rifle used in the shooting by Ndiaga Diagne was legally bought by him several years ago in San Antonio.
Who was Savitha Shan?
Savitha Shan, an Indian American and one of the victims of the fatal shooting, was a 21-year-old student majoring in management information systems and economics at the University of Texas.
One of her professors at the McCombs School of Business described her as one of the “superstar students” and said she was set to graduate in May this year. “Involved in student organizations - a light in the classroom. Absolutely crushing to lose her,” Russ Finney, Assistant Professor at the business school said in a post on X.
Meanwhile, the shooter was reportedly from Senegal, and arrived in the US in 2000 on a B-2 tourist visa. According to AP, he became a lawful permanent resident six years later after marrying an American.
