Elon Musk Links Alleged Tesla Assault to Austin Killings in Warning About Muslim Immigration

Elon Musk has linked a deadly shooting in Austin, Texas, to an alleged assault at a Tesla factory, using the case to argue that immigration screening should identify people he believes pose a threat because of extremist religious beliefs.

Speaking to his biographer Walter Isaacson in an interview published on 20 October, the Tesla chief executive cited the case of Ndiaga Diagne, the gunman who killed three people and injured 15 others outside a bar in March.

Musk claimed Diagne had been dismissed from Tesla after violently attacking a woman who accidentally stepped on his prayer rug. He then questioned whether people like Diagne should be allowed into the United States.

Musk subsequently argued that countries must screen for jihadist beliefs, specifically referring to Islam while acknowledging that many Muslims are reasonable. However, the FBI's investigation into the shooting has not established a conclusive motive, making it important to distinguish the agency's findings from Musk's interpretation of the case.

Elon Musk Links Alleged Tesla Workplace Assault to Austin Shooting

During the interview, published by The Builders on YouTube, Isaacson questioned Musk about his views on immigration and whether judging people by their cultural or religious backgrounds risks overlooking individual differences.

Musk responded by arguing that people with extremist beliefs could pose a danger if admitted into a country.

He then described the alleged incident at Tesla's Austin factory, saying: 'We had someone who was working at the Tesla factory in Austin until December of last year. He was fired because he assaulted a woman who stepped on his prayer rug in the factory.'

He continued: 'She accidentally stepped on his prayer rug and he assaulted her, violently assaulted her. So he was fired for that.'

Musk's account echoes allegations in a civil lawsuit, although some details remain unverified. According to a report by CBS News, a civil lawsuit filed by Lilian Brady, a 65-year-old Tesla employee, alleges that Diagne grabbed her and threw her to the ground in December 2025 while he was praying in a common area at the factory.

Brady's lawyer said she recognised Diagne after seeing news coverage of the shooting. The lawsuit accuses Tesla of negligence, arguing that the company knew or should have known about his alleged aggressive behaviour.

It seeks more than $1 million (approximately £750,000) in damages. These remain allegations in a civil case, and CBS News reported that it had not independently confirmed Diagne's employment at Tesla.

Musk went on to connect the alleged assault with the later killings, saying: 'And then a few months later, he went and killed three students in the bar in downtown Austin. Now, I think we shouldn't let people like that into the country. Do you?'

Musk's reference to 'three students' reflects his own wording. The FBI confirms that three people were killed and 15 injured in the shooting, but the victims were not all students.

The remarks turn a case involving an individual accused of serious violence into an argument about immigration policy. However, the question of how authorities should assess a person's risk is separate from whether a person's religion or national origin can reliably indicate that risk.

FBI Austin Shooting Findings Complicate Musk's Immigration Argument

Musk expanded his position beyond the individual case and while admitting not all Muslims are the same, yet telling Isaacson: 'And unless you're filtering for jihadis, you're going to get jihadis and they're going to do jihad and kill people.'

He also invoked Israel, arguing that its approach to security reflects an understanding that people who intend to kill its citizens should not be admitted. His comments formed part of a wider discussion about what he described as misguided empathy and the danger of assuming that everyone shares the same values.

In its investigative update published on 7 May 2026, the FBI said Diagne appeared to have acted alone and that investigators had found no evidence that he was associated with a foreign terrorist organisation or received outside direction, funding or operational support.

The agency described an escalation in violent behaviour linked partly to personal triggers and grievances concerning US and Israeli military actions involving Iran. Investigators also found that Diagne admired Iran's former supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The FBI said Diagne's affinity for Iran and Khamenei was relevant to his mobilisation to violence, but it had not identified conclusive evidence explaining his motivation or why he selected the location. The investigation remained ongoing.

Diagne, who was 53, was born in Senegal and became a naturalised US citizen in April 2013, according to the FBI. He died after being shot by responding Austin police officers during the attack on 1 March.

Musk's remarks raise questions about security screening and how governments identify people who may pose a genuine threat. The available evidence does not establish that Muslims as a group present such a threat, nor does it demonstrate that the suspect's religion alone explains his actions.

The distinction matters when an individual criminal case is used to support proposals affecting an entire population.