Tesla fired Austin gunman Ndiaga Diagne after he assaulted a woman who accidentally stepped on his prayer rug, CEO Elon Musk said while warning that countries must screen immigrants for jihadist beliefs.
Musk described the encounter at Tesla’s Austin factory during an interview with biographer Walter Isaacson on the podcast The Builders. The episode debuted Tuesday, October 20; its notes give August 6 as the recording date.
Musk warns of jihadist threat
“And unless you’re filtering for jihadis, you’re going to get jihadis,” Musk said. He warned they would commit jihad and kill people, while acknowledging that many Muslims are reasonable.
Diagne worked at Tesla’s Austin factory until December 2025, Musk said. Citing the later shooting, he argued that the United States should not admit “people like that.”
Lawsuit alleges earlier assault
The Dallas Express reported in March that Lillian Mendoza Brady had sued Tesla over an alleged December 4, 2025, assault involving Diagne.
Her March 5 amended petition alleges Diagne attacked her during a company-authorized prayer break in a common area. Brady accuses Tesla of failing to protect workers and supervise an employee whose aggressive tendencies it knew or should have known about.
The petition seeks more than $1 million. It does not mention a prayer rug or describe a firing. Musk supplied those details in the interview. The filing alleges negligence; it does not establish Tesla’s liability.
Three killed, 15 injured
Three victims died and 15 others suffered injuries in the March 1 attack outside Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden, the FBI confirmed in a May 7 update. Diagne, 53, died from wounds sustained during an exchange of gunfire with responding Austin police officers.
The Senegal-born gunman became a naturalized U.S. citizen in April 2013, the FBI said. Investigators found no evidence that a foreign terrorist organization directed, funded or supported the attack.
Diagne wore a sweatshirt reading “Property of Allah” and a T-shirt featuring an Iranian flag design during the attack, the FBI said.
Antisemitic and anti-Christian posts appeared on an X account authorities believed belonged to Diagne, The Dallas Express also previously reported.
His admiration for Iran and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei played a role in his turn to violence, but investigators had not conclusively determined his motive, the FBI said.
Provided by Dallas Express
