If a tragedy has been avoided by American law enforcement, the subject is taken very seriously.
The day after the hostage-taking in a synagogue in Colleyville (approximately 23,000 inhabitants, about 40 km from Dallas), in Texas, the American authorities launched an “international” investigation into the hostage-taker.
What happened ?
Four hostages were held for ten hours by a man before being released safe and sound overnight from Saturday to Sunday.
“The hostage rescue team stormed the synagogue” on Saturday evening and “the suspect is dead,” local police chief Michael Miller said during a press conference.
The voice of a man, at times agitated, could be heard on the broadcast of the religious service live on Facebook, before its interruption.
“There is something wrong with America”, had notably launched this man.
"I'm going to die," he also said, repeatedly asking an unidentified caller that "his sister" be on the phone.
According to journalists present on the spot, a loud explosion and gunshots rang out in the synagogue just before the announcement of the end of the hostage-taking by the governor of Texas.
A few hours earlier, while tough negotiations were taking place between the police and the kidnapper, a first hostage had been released unharmed.
FBI special agent, US Federal Police, Dallas, Matt DeSarno, said the hostages - including local rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker - did not need medical attention and would soon be reunited with their families.
"He didn't hurt them," he said.
This event deeply affected the Jewish community in the United States and also caused concern for the Israeli government.
What do we know about the hostage taker?
The 44-year-old man who died was a British national named Malik Faisal Akram, the FBI said. "At this stage, there is no indication of the involvement of anyone else," US federal police said in a statement, adding only that investigators were continuing to "analyze the evidence at the synagogue" and that the investigations were continuing. According to Joe Biden, the hostage taker had apparently obtained his weapons “on the street”.
The man, who demanded the release of a Pakistani woman nicknamed "Lady Al-Qaeda" and convicted of terrorism, died during the assault by the police.
Aafia Siddiqui is currently being held in a prison hospital in Fort Worth, near Dallas.
Jihadist movements had in the past called for his release.
This Pakistani scientist was sentenced in 2010 by a federal court in New York to 86 years in prison for having attempted to shoot American soldiers while she was detained in Afghanistan.
What political reactions?
Saturday's hostage-taking was "an act of terrorism," Joe Biden said on Sunday.
During a trip to Philadelphia, in the state of Pennsylvania, the American president confirmed that this gesture "was linked to someone" who "has been in prison for ten years", without further details.
For her part, the head of British diplomacy, Liz Truss, condemned Sunday an “act of terrorism and anti-Semitism”. “My thoughts are with the Jewish community and all those affected by this appalling act in Texas. We condemn this act of terrorism and anti-Semitism,” the foreign minister said on Twitter, adding, “We stand with the United States to defend the rights and freedoms of our citizens against those who spread hatred.” Scotland Yard confirmed that officers from Britain's counter-terrorism police "were in contact with US authorities and colleagues from the FBI" regarding the incident.
“This event is a stark reminder that anti-Semitism is still alive and we must continue to fight it around the world,” Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett tweeted.
“No one should be afraid to gather in their place of worship,” also said the Council on Jewish Community Relations, an organization based in San Francisco.
