Possible fifth column, also possibly news media hysteria, and maybe someone acting out for {pick one} reasons...
The FBI suggests possible linkage to terrorism in a shooting in Austin, TX.
Originally Posted by CBS News
A new photo has emerged of the gunman who police say killed two people and wounded 14 at a bar in Austin, Texas.
The gunman, who was shot and killed by police, was wearing a sweatshirt that said "Property of Allah" during the attack, according to two sources familiar with the investigation. The description matches a photo obtained by Fox News that appears to show the gunman carrying a long gun. He was also wearing an undershirt featuring an Iranian flag during the attack, sources told CBS News.
There were indicators on the suspect and in his vehicle that suggest a "potential nexus to terrorism," FBI Acting Special Agent Alex Doran said during a briefing Sunday, though he cautioned that it was too early to determine the motive. Officials executed a search warrant at the gunman's home on Sunday and found an Iranian flag and pictures of Iranian leaders, according to an official with direct knowledge of the investigation. Sources told CBS News that the Quran was found in the gunman's vehicle.
The shooter was identified by Austin police as 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne.
Multiple U.S. officials told CBS News he was a naturalized American citizen born in Senegal.
Investigators believe the gunman acted alone. Police say he had a handgun and a rifle during the attack.
In other news...
French President Emmanuel Macron said Sunday the Iran conflict has prompted France to reinforce its military posture and its defensive support for allies in the Middle East. Noting that a drone hit a hangar Sunday at a French naval base, he said France needs to ″be able to adapt our posture to the evolution of the last few hours.″
Thank you, Monsieur President.
Commentary from Iran:
“We may have lost one or two commanders, but that is not a big problem,” he added.
Araghchi also said pursuing regime change in Iran was “mission impossible.” The top Iranian diplomat said Tehran was targeting U.S. military bases in the region in retaliation but not “Americans in their land.”
As of right now, there is no communication between Iran and the United States, Araghchi said, but he expressed a willingness to resume dialogue in the interest of de-escalation. “This is a war of choice by the United States, and they have to pay for that,” he added. “But as far as we are concerned, we don’t want war.”
Well, you got one, and some of your neighbors might be upping their game soon. We'll see what happens.
As to Iran's proxy in Lebanon:
In the pre-dawn hours of Monday morning, Hezbollah opened a new front in the
US-Israeli war against Iran when it launched “missiles and a swarm of drones” at a military base in northern Israel. The Iran-backed militant group, which has its power base in southern Lebanon, called it revenge for the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Never mind that Israel says the attack did no damage. One projectile was intercepted, while others fell in open areas.
Or that Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam called it “an irresponsible and suspicious act,” and banned Hezbollah’s military activities.
Israel has been poised for this moment for months. Even after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect in 2024, the Israeli military has been striking Lebanon on a near-daily basis, accusing Hezbollah of violating the agreement by rearming and rebuilding its forces. In November, Israel said it killed Hezbollah’s second most senior figure and Chief of Staff, Haytham Ali Tabatabai. But those were largely individual strikes.
And so it grows...
In the war of words...
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — As U.S. and Israeli forces pounded
Iran, and Tehran and its affiliates retaliated by
firing missiles at targets across the Mideast on Monday, the
international legal order was caught in the crossfire.
At the heart of the post-World War II global order — United Nations headquarters in New York — Secretary-General António Guterres told the Security Council on Saturday that U.S. and Israeli airstrikes violated international law, including the U.N. Charter.
He also condemned Iran’s retaliatory attacks for violating the sovereignty and territorial integrity of nations in the Mideast.
Officials in the Trump administration insist that the military campaign is a lawful measure to ensure Tehran does not build nuclear weapons. “It’s a matter of global security. And to that end, the United States is taking lawful actions,” Trump’s U.N. ambassador, Mike Waltz, said.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote in a letter to the U.N. on Sunday that
the killing of Supreme Leader
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei “constitutes a grave and unprecedented breach of the most fundamental norms governing relations among States.”
What the Secretary General might wish to consider is that with the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the UNSC has finally shown what its limits are. (The War in Iraq in 2003 was a similar signpost along the road to the UNSC's irrelevance).
This current air centered campaign against Iran barely moves the needle...the troubles go a lot deeper than that.
Saw an interesting tidbit: Spanish government has said quite clearly and publicly that US assets cannot use Spanish bases for this op, which resulted in some aircraft leaving and going elsewhere.