A hostage taking that lasted several hours in a Texas synagogue ended with the release of all captives safe and sound and with himto the death of the kidnapper, calling for the release of a Pakistani woman convicted of terrorism who was later identified as a British citizen. The incident began when Malik Faisal Akram, 44, broke into the Jewish temple of Congregation Beth Israel during the Sabbath celebration, which was being broadcast live on Facebook and Zoom. The American President, Joe Biden, described the incident as a “terrorist act” and stated his clear opposition to anti-Semitism and extremism in the country.
Unanimous condemnation of terrorism
Biden He assured this Sunday that he had no details about the reasons that led the suspect to act, and revealed that Faisal Akram “supposedly bought on the street” the weapons he owned. The American president assured that the incident was “an act of terrorism” related to “someone who was arrested 15 years ago and has been in jail for 10 years”, confirming press reports according to which the kidnapper demanded the release of the Pakistani scientist Aafia Siddiqui, sentenced to 86 years in prison for terrorism.
The Democratic leader also promised “oppose antisemitism and the rise of extremism in this country”, in statements to the press upon arrival in Philadelphia, where he participated with the first lady in a volunteer act on the occasion of the Martin Luther King holiday, which is celebrated this Monday. Biden assured that he had spoken with the attorney general of the United States, Merrick Garland, about the importance of sending the message that these types of attacks will not be “tolerated” in “synagogues and places of worship.”
In parallel, the UK Foreign Minister, Liz Truss, also called the episode an “act of terrorism and anti-Semitism” on his Twitter account. “My thoughts are with the Jewish community and all those affected by this heinous act in Texas.“said the head of British diplomacy and added: “We stand with the United States in defending the rights and freedoms of our citizens against those who spread hate.”
The first data of the investigation
The FBI reported this Sunday that the man who died after taking four people hostage this weekend at a synagogue in the state of Texas was a 44-year-old British citizen named Malik Faisal Akram. The anti-terrorist police of the northwest of England, which is participating in the investigation initiated by the US authorities, confirmed the identity of the man and specified in a statement that he was originally from the Blackburn region in Lancashire, in the north of England.
London’s ambassador to the United States, Karen Pierce, declared on Twitter that the British authorities gave “full support to the security forces of Texas and the United States.” Scotland Yard confirmed that UK counter-terrorism police officers “were in contact with US authorities and with their colleagues in the FBI.”
There is “no indication” that anyone else is involved in the attack in the small Texas town of Colleyville, 25 miles northwest of Dallas, according to a statement from the FBI office in that city. Following the end of the standoff on Saturday night, FBI Special Agent Matt DeSarno told reporters in Colleysville that the investigation would be “global in scope,” adding: “We have been in contact with multiple FBI leads including Tel Aviv and London”. Police did not say if Akram was killed by the hit team or if he killed himself.
Aafia Siddiqui is the first woman suspected by the United States of having ties to Al Qaeda and his cause is celebrated in Pakistan and in South Asian jihadi circles. She was arrested in Afghanistan in 2008. Two years later she was convicted by a New York court for the attempted assassination of US officers in that country.
The trial is highly questioned by the Pakistani authorities, who ask for his release. In any case, Siddiqui is serving a sentence at the Carswell Federal Medical Center in Fort Worth, a maximum security prison located about 40 kilometers west of the synagogue of the kidnapping.
During the negotiations with the FBI during the kidnapping, Faisal Akram claimed to be Siddiqui’s brother, although the lawyer of that prisoner, Marwa Elbially, later ruled out that there was any family ties between the two, and condemned Akram’s actions.
In a statement to CNN, Elbially said his client had “absolutely no involvement” in the hostage situation and condemned the incident. For his part, FBI agent DeSarno did not confirm the suspect’s claims, but said they were “focused on an issue that was not specifically a threat to the Jewish community.”
A Facebook Live
At one point, the confrontation involved about 200 local, state and federal agents that were concentrated around Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville. A live stream from the congregation’s Facebook page during the Sabbath morning service appeared to capture Akram’s voice speaking very loudly, though it did not show the scene inside the religious center.
In that broadcast the man could be heard saying, “Put my sister on the phone” and “I’m going to die.” He also expressed: “There is something wrong with the United States”. Before the video stopped airing, what appeared to be negotiations over the phone between the suspect and the officers were heard. ABC News reported that the hijacker was armed and claimed to have bombs in several places, although it has not yet been confirmed by the authorities.
One of the hostages was released early in the confrontation. After hours of what police say were extensive negotiations with the suspect, an elite SWAT team ibroke into the synagogue. Journalists nearby reported hearing a loud bang (probably a fragmentation grenade used as a distraction) and gunshots.
One of the four hostages was the rabbi of the synagogue of the Beth Israel congregation, Charlie Cytron-Walker, who expressed his “gratitude for being alive” on his Facebook account on Sunday.
A “horrible” situation
On the Blackburn Muslim Community Facebook page, a man who introduced himself as the brother of Faisal Akram assured that he had been killed “by bullet” and that “suffered from mental health problems”. “There was nothing we could have said or done to convince him to turn himself in.”said the man, who claimed to have been “in contact with Faisal, the negotiators and the FBI until early morning.”
The man, who signed his post on the social network with the name Gulbar, said the family’s priority was to repatriate Akram’s remains to the UK. “Although we have been warned that this could take weeks,” he said.
Ellen Smith, a member of the congregation who grew up going to that synagogue, told CNN that the situation was “shocking and horrific.” But he said it is “not surprising” that the crisis is taking place in a Jewish community. “Lately, cases of anti-Semitism have increased, but since Jews have walked the Earth, we have been persecuted”Smith assured.
The incident sparked concern among the Jewish community and in the Israeli government, whose prime minister Naftali Bennett assured to monitor “closely” the situation. “I am relieved and grateful that the hostages of Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas, have been rescued,” Bennett said on his Twitter account, where he also congratulated the security forces for their “speed and courage”.
Synagogues in several US cities increased security after the attack, although officials said they did not believe the incident was part of a global threat.
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