Free Republic

The gunman who opened fire outside a crowded Texas bar and killed three people in an attack that wounded more than a dozen had not been on the radar of authorities, federal and local investigators said Monday. The FBI and police in Austin said it’s too soon to identify the motive behind the mass shooting early Sunday that the FBI has said is being investigated as a potential act of terrorism, coming after the US and Israel launched an attack on Iran. “Our ultimate goal in everything we do is to determine the motive,” Alex Doran, the acting agent in...

Over the weekend, the FBI confirmed that a mass shooting at an Austin, Texas, bar was an act of terrorism. The suspect, Ndiaga Diagne, a 53-year-old naturalized citizen from Senegal, was pictured wearing a "Property of Allah" sweatshirt and reportedly had a t-shirt bearing the Iranian flag on it. Bill Melugin also confirmed that he was naturalized under the Obama administration. But in the wake of this shooting, people are recalling video from the border dating back to 2023, where refugees from Senegal were crossing our open borders without any vetting. This was an absolute dereliction of duty on the...

~I was out of it for most of last week, due to a car accident and another heart attack within seconds of each other, both pretty serious. So I was hoping to emerge to a reasonably relaxed environment with plenty of time to get myself up to speed on what I've missed. Alas, the news cycle had other plans. One worries in such circumstances that one is projecting outward one's own intimations of mortality. As I have maintained for God knows how many sodding decades, in a certain sense the Iranian revolution is where our present era began, and not...

WATCH: In a Facebook Live stream, Sinclair-owned CBS Austin multimedia journalist Vinny Martorano refuses his bosses' order to spin and downplay the rally in support of the U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran. In the video, Martorano is seemingly practicing for a live shot and noting that people were "celebrating the attack. He's then hand a phone: CREW MEMBER: [Hands him a phone] MARTORANO: What does that mean? CREW MEMBER: It means they don't want us to focus on this. MARTORANO: [Shrugs] All right. [Hands the phone back] Well, I am. RALLY CHANTS: Thank you Trump! Thank you Trump! Thank you Trump!...

Updated Summary of the Austin West 6th Street Mass Shooting (March 1, 2026)A mass shooting unfolded early Sunday morning, around 2 a.m. CST, outside Buford's Backyard Beer Garden (a popular beer garden/bar) on West 6th Street in downtown Austin's bustling nightlife district, near Rio Grande Street. The area is frequented by locals, University of Texas students, and weekend crowds.Sequence of Events (per police and witnesses):The suspect drove a large black SUV past the bar multiple times, activated hazard lights, rolled down the window, and fired a pistol at patrons on the outdoor patio, sidewalk, and front area.He parked the vehicle...

The Texas gunman who shot two dead and wounded 14 others had photos of Iranian leaders and the Iranian flag inside his home, sources have revealed. Ndiaga Diagne, 53, a former New York City resident and US citizen originally from Senegal, was identified as the shooter by a law enforcement source to the Daily Mail. Two people were shot dead and 14 more were wounded at a packed-out bar in Austin during the early hours of Sunday, before officers killed the attacker in return fire. There is speculation that the attack may have been triggered by the recent US strikes...

It was on the eve of the attack on Iran that I sensed something cataclysmic in the air. Without claiming that the attack on Iran was that thing, it might be the beginning of much more dire things to come that are unleashed by that act. I don’t know, I’m not a prognosticator. What I do know is that within hours of the knowledge of the attack a terrorist entered an Austin bar and committed an act of terrorism. We need to understand, as a society, that there are terrorists scattered all throughout our nation, largely invited in by...

Austin mass shooter Ndiaga Diagne toting a rifle and wearing a hooded sweatshirt emblazoned with “Property of Allah.”

"At least three people have been killed and 14 more wounded in a mass shooting in Austin, Texas on Sunday morning. Police said the shooter, who has not been identified, was also killed in the horror episode by officers returning fire. The shooting unfolded at the Buford's bar in the 600 block of Rio Grande Street just before 2am on Sunday, officials said. Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said 17 victims were located at the scene - 14 were taken to hospital, and three victims were pronounced dead on scene. Three of those hospitalized remain in critical condition. ..."

A former New York City resident who killed two people and wounded 14 others at a packed Austin, Texas, bar was possibly motivated by the US attacks on Iran, sources told The Post. The FBI is investigating the shooting as a possible ideologically motivated act of terrorism, the sources said. The killer, who is a US citizen from Senegal, had a Quran in his car and clothing described as Islamic garb when he opened fire on Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden near the University of Texas-Austin campus, according to sources familiar with the investigation. The gunman has a history of arrests...

Tesla has officially launched public Robotaxi rides in Austin, Texas, without a Safety Monitor in the vehicle, marking the first time the company has removed anyone from the vehicle other than the rider. The Safety Monitor has been present in Tesla Robotaxis in Austin since its launch last June, maintaining safety for passengers and other vehicles, and was placed in the passenger’s seat. Tesla planned to remove the Safety Monitor at the end of 2025, but it was not quite ready to do so. Now, in January, riders are officially reporting that they are able to hail a ride from...

Austin, we have a problem. Even as many in Texas are pushing back against the rising presence of Islamic Supremacist organizations and hate groups trying to spread their hateful views and calls for the conquest and mass murder of non-Muslims, Austin is welcoming them in. Fresh off declaring January to be ‘Muslim Heritage Month’, the city of Austin, Texas also decided to declare Jan 22nd, “CAIR-Austin” day after the local chapter of the Muslim Brotherhood organization (a violent Islamist movement originally funded by Nazi Germany) whose national organization celebrated the Hamas massacres of Oct 7 and was named an unindicted...

While no Democrat has won statewide in Texas in more than 30 years, Cornyn's seat is an especially tough nut to crack... This year's contest, however, is marked by an especially bitter Republican primary headlined by Cornyn, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt of Houston. Many Democrats believe that provides them with an opening. Numerous polls suggest their best chance will come if Paxton — who has a history of scandals and is in the midst of a high-profile divorce from his wife, McKinney state Sen. Angela Paxton – becomes the GOP nominee. Two major Democratic...

"Topline: A then-employee at the City of Austin’s energy utility allegedly paid $980,000 in taxpayer funds to fictional companies with bank accounts belonging to his family members, according to a new report from the city auditor. Key facts: Mark Ybarra was given a city credit card from 2018 to 2023 to hire repair companies for city buildings. He used it to pay 30 different vendors, but the city auditor could only verify that eight of them were real companies, according to the report."

Waymo is hitting the brakes on its robotaxi software and issuing a voluntary recall after school bus safety concerns came to light earlier this year. The recall won’t necessarily pull cars from the road but will instead see them updated. It comes after an investigation by Nexstar’s KXAN found the company’s driverless vehicles illegally passed school buses with their stop arms out in Austin, Texas. The Austin Independent School District said similar incidents occurred at least 19 times this school year, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened an investigation in October. In November, cameras captured a Waymo...

The future is now along a stretch of Texas highway as driverless semi-trucks begin their commutes within an Austin-area corridor. The "Smart Freight Corridor" is a 21-mile stretch of State Highway 130 in the Austin area - the fastest highway in Texas - covering the highway region from Georgetown to Mustang Ridge.

In a bizarre attempt at gaining online fame, 29-year-old Keith Castillo, who goes by the handle “povwolfy” on social media, has gone viral for distributing large machetes and bottles of alcohol to homeless individuals in Austin and New Orleans. The stunt, which Castillo claims is meant to “keep them safe,” has drawn sharp criticism from the public and law enforcement experts for its potential to incite danger and violence. Castillo, hailing from Corpus Christi, Texas, began his nationwide tour in October, traveling from city to city to film content for clicks and views. He currently has nearly 400,000 followers on...

[Catholic Caucus] Priority of New Bishop of Austin, Texas: Kneeling for Communion discouraged -- Communion kneelers to be bannedBishop Garcia has just arrived back at the capital of Texas, after a few mean years in Monterey (California) -- where his last measure before departing was to cancel the local Traditional Latin Mass. What is his first main concern in Austin, a burgeoning diocese filled with young Catholics and newcomers? Vocations? Inspire the faithful? Instill love for orthodoxy, Christ, the Sacraments, the Blessed Virgin?No: it's to discourage kneeling for Communion in the masses of Paul VI:Priorities... "For where your treasure is,...

Police found a half-naked woman handcuffed in a Texas backyard who had been tortured for a considerable period of time by five people she knew for years, authorities said. The Austin Police Department said in a statement that officers conducted a welfare check just after 9 a.m. Oct. 30 after a report regarding a "woman in distress who appeared to be restrained and calling for help." Police said they discovered a woman outside a home who was "handcuffed to a piece of exercise equipment." "The woman showed signs of physical distress and had visible injuries consistent with prolonged restraint," the...

Voters in Texas' capital overwhelmingly rejected a plan to raise taxes to pay millions for homeless services last week, but that isn't stopping local leaders from looking for the money in other places. The City of Austin is now proposing cutting millions in funding from the fire and ambulance services to give it the city's unsuccessful program for people on the streets. 'It's a slap in the face because they really aren't listening, and they really are steamrolling, whatever they want to do, and continuously trying to undermine the public will,' local public safety advocate Cleo Petricek told Daily Mail...