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Who is Ndiaga Diagne? Laura Loomer reveals alleged identity of Austin Buford's bar shooting suspect

Laura Loomer claimed to identify the Buford’s shooting suspect as Ndiaga Diagne, but authorities haven’t confirmed it and her claim remains unverified.

Updated on: Mar 2, 2026, 24:37:43 IST
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Laura Loomer, the far-right influencer, claimed to have identified the suspect in the shooting at Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden in Austin, Texas, on early Sunday morning. As of now, the FBI has not identified the suspect but are investigating it as a potential act of terrorism.

FBI special agent Alex Doran speaks during a news briefing on the mass shooting at Buford's bar at the Austin Police Department on March 1. (Getty Images via AFP)
FBI special agent Alex Doran speaks during a news briefing on the mass shooting at Buford's bar at the Austin Police Department on March 1. (Getty Images via AFP)

Amidst that, Loomer claimed the shooter in question is Ndiaga Diagne, who she said is a naturalized citizen from Senegal. Additionally. New York Post also claimed that the shooter is Diagne and he is 53-year-old.

No other sources have, as of now, confirmed the shooter's identity. The suspect was fatally shot by law enforcement after killing three and injuring at least 11.

Ht.com cannot independently very Laura Loomer claim about the suspect. Loomer has a long track record of spreading misinformation and may of her theories that have repeatedly been debunked.

Here's Loomer's post:

According to Austin Police Chief Lisa David, the suspect was driving a large SUV. He drove in circles around the bar on West Sixth Street before eventually stopping in front of Buford's. He put on the SUV's hazard lights, took out a gun, and started firing.

The shooting happened around 2am local time on Sunday morning.

Terrorism And Alleged Iran Links

Alex Doran, the agent in charge of FBI's Austin's office, said there were "indicators" that the shooting could have been an act of terrorism. However, Doran added that it was still "too early to make a determination on that.”

Also read: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iran's ex-prez killed in US strikes, once said ‘bad actor' Trump is causing America's decline

New York Post reported citing sources familiar with the investigation of FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force probe that the shooter could have been motivated by the death of Iran's late Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in a joint strike on the country by the US and Israel on Saturday.

The NYP report noted, again citing sources, that the suspect had a Quran in his car and had other paraphernalia in his car to suggest that it could be motivated by terrorism. They said that suspect had a history of arrest and lived on New York briefly in the early 2000s.

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