WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump said Americans should not worry about a rise in terrorist threats following the outbreak of hostilities in Iran, calling the Texas shooter who fatally shot two people while wearing an Iranian flag shirt “just a whack job.” “I hope you don’t worry too much,” the president told The Daily Wire in a Monday evening phone call. The gunman, 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne, opened fire around 2 a.m. Sunday morning on West Sixth Street in Austin, wearing a sweatshirt that read “Property of Allah” over a T-shirt with the Iranian flag on it. The FBI is currently investigating whether Diagne was motivated by the conflict in Iran. But President Trump is confident the incidents were unrelated. “I think it’s probably just a whack job, a total whack job,” Trump told The Daily Wire. “But you know, like so many others … probably staged.” (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images) CBS News reports that authorities found an Iranian flag and images of Iranian leaders in Diagne’s house and a Quran in his car. While authorities have not yet confirmed a motive, the attack has led to speculation that the incident was a lone-wolf domestic terror attack. The shooter is from Senegal and had first entered the United States in 2000 on a B-2 tourist visa, according to the Department of Homeland Security. He became a permanent resident six years after he entered the country by marrying a United States citizen, and was naturalized in 2013. The White House confirmed on Sunday that the president was briefed about the shooting in Austin, but he does not appear to have publicly commented on it otherwise. Today, President Trump has spoken with the leaders of Israel, Bahrain, and the UAE. The President has also been briefed on the shooting in Austin, Texas. — Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) March 1, 2026 FBI Director Kash Patel promised on Saturday that “FBI personnel are fully engaged on the situation overseas.” “Last night I instructed our Counterterrorism and intelligence teams to be on high alert and mobilize all assisting security assets needed,” he said in a statement on Saturday. “Our JTTFs throughout the country are working 24/7, as always, to address and disrupt any potential threats to the homeland. While the military handles force protection overseas, the FBI remains at the forefront of deterring attacks here at home – and will continue to have our team work around the clock to protect Americans.” Secretary of War Pete Hegseth told The Daily Wire Monday that the Trump administration is monitoring for potential domestic threats related to Operation Epic Fury. “Well, across the interagency in full coordination, of course, we’re paying attention to any potentialities there,” Hegseth said during a Monday morning Pentagon press conference. “This is a former regime, a regime that seeks to export that ideology, to try to sow terror.” “We’re ready for that,” he added. “We’ve seen these types of folks before. And the American people can rest assured that we’re vigilant on that.”