At least two dead and 14 injured in a shooting in a Texas bar, which the FBI is investigating as a possible terrorist attack | International

A gunman opened fire next to the entrance of a bar in Austin, the capital of Texas, this past morning. As a result of the shooting At least two people have died and another 14 are injured of varying severity. The FBI investigates whether it exists a “potential nexus to terrorism” in the event.

The shooting occurred around two in the morning at Buford’s Backyard Beer, a popular bar in a busy area of ​​nightclubs and music clubs in Austin, very close to the University of Texas. Several police officers immediately moved to the area and shot down the shooter after he fired several times from his SUV at the customers who were on the restaurant’s terrace and near the windows.

The suspect, whose identity has not yet been revealed by the police, was 53 years old, was of Senegalese origin and had been in the United States for more than 15 years, according to Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis. The attacker drove his SUV several times past the bar and circled the block several times before starting to fire a gun from the window of his truck at customers.

“At one point, he turned on his flashing lights, rolled down his window and began using a gun, shooting out the windows of his car, injuring the bar patrons who were on the terrace and who were in front of the bar,” Davis said.

After the first shooting, the attacker parked his vehicle in the area. He pulled out a rifle and began shooting at passers-by as he walked toward a nearby intersection, where he was shot dead by police officers.

Investigators are trying to determine if the shooting is a terrorist act or was carried out by an individual with a mental illness. Several FBI teams appeared in the area. The federal agency is investigating the hypothesis of terrorism due to “indications” found on the gunman and his vehicle, according to Alex Doran, the acting agent in charge of the FBI office in San Antonio. “Obviously, it is still too early in the process to determine an exact motivation, but there were indicators on the subject and then in his vehicle that indicate a potential nexus to terrorism,” Doran added. The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force is participating in the investigation, he added.

So far this year there have been at least 56 mass shootings in the United States (defined as those in which at least four people are shot, not including the shooter), according to Gun Violence Archive.

President Donald Trump has been briefed on the Austin shooting, the White House said Sunday.

The shooting occurred a few hours after the US attack on Iran. National Security officials have expressed concern about the tensions that have arisen as a result of the attack. Although authorities have not referred to any link between the Tehran bombing and the Austin shooting, Texas Governor Greg Abbott alluded to both in a statement published on social media.

“To anyone who thinks about using the current conflict in the Middle East to threaten Texans or our critical infrastructure, understand this clearly: Texas will respond with decisive and overwhelming force to protect our state,” he wrote.

This Tuesday the first primary elections in Texas will take place to decide the candidates who will run in the midterm elections to be held in November. The political climate is very polarized.

The governor of Texas assured that on Saturday after learning of the bombing of Iran, he ordered the Texas Military Department to activate patrols to protect infrastructure, including energy facilities and ports, according to The New York Times. After the shooting, he said he ordered the Department of Public Safety to increase patrols in downtown Austin. “This act of violence will not define us or break the resolve of Texans,” he said.

There have been at least two other high-profile shootings in Austin’s Sixth Street entertainment district in the past five years, including one in the summer of 2021 that left 14 people injured. So far this year there have already been five shootings in the capital of Texas.

Austin Mayor Kirk Watson praised the quick response of police and paramedics. “They definitely saved lives,” he said.