The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

They identify the man who took four hostages in a Texas synagogue

2022-01-16T19:53:58.363Z


According to the FBI, Malik Faisal Akram, a 44-year-old British citizen, was the man who held four people against their will at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas, and died after a confrontation with police.


By Doha Madani -

NBC News

The FBI has identified the gunman who took four people hostage at a synagogue in Texas on Saturday, prompting a police operation that lasted up to 10 hours in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Malik Faisal Akram, a 44-year-old British citizen, held a group of people

against their will at Congregation Beth Israel, a Reform synagogue in the city of Colleyville, according to Matthew DeSarno, an FBI special agent in Dallas.

Authorities said

Akram was killed during a clash on Saturday night

, but gave no further details.

A British Foreign Ministry spokesman said they were aware of "the death of a British man in Texas" but would not confirm whether they were referring to the suspect.

An armed man breaks into a religious act and barricades himself in a Texas synagogue

Jan. 16, 202201:48

"The FBI's Evidence Response Team (ERT) will continue to process evidence [from the incident] at the synagogue," DeSarno said in a statement Sunday.

"At this time, there is no indication that other people are involved."

During the nearly 10-hour hostage-taking,

Akram demanded the release of Aafia Siddiqui, according to three senior officials

familiar with details of the hostage-taking.

Siddiqui, 49, was convicted by a federal jury in 2010 of attempting to assassinate US officers in Afghanistan and is currently being held at FMC Carswell, a federal prison in Fort Worth.

Man sprays gasoline on a patrol car and sets it on fire in front of a synagogue in Florida

Jan. 14, 202200:21

On Sunday, President Joe Biden referred to the incident and praised the authorities who resolved the conflict.

“They did a great job.

It was an act of terrorism," the president said.

Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker was one of those detained by Akram when he disrupted Saturday's church service, which was broadcast live on Facebook for the congregation.

Details of Saturday's incident are not yet known, but the man had Cytron-Walker call a rabbi in New York to tell him he was being held hostage and voice the demand for Siddiqui's release, officials said.

[Texas Governor Announces Release of All Synagogue Hostages]

Cytron-Walker said he had "great appreciation" for those who have offered him support and for law enforcement who helped them escape unharmed.

With 20 pizzas they negotiate a hostage taking in a maximum security prison

Aug. 24, 202101:54

"I'm thankful for my family. I'm thankful for the Jewish community, the human community.

I'm thankful that I made it. I'm thankful that I'm alive

," he said.

During a briefing Saturday, DeSarno praised the work of hostage negotiators and the hundreds of local and federal law enforcement officials who were involved in the incident.

Akram's brother, Gulbar, said in a statement obtained by Sky News on Sunday that his family helped authorities in the negotiations and that Akram was "suffering from mental health problems."

A man takes several people hostage in a Minnesota bank

May 7, 202101:39

"We would like to say that we, as a family,

do not condone any of his actions and want to sincerely apologize

to the victims involved in this unfortunate incident," the statement said.

Gulbar claimed his family was "absolutely devastated" and called any attack on another human being "totally inexcusable."

The first hostage was released around 5:00 pm, and the rest were released about four hours later, when an FBI rescue team entered the synagogue.

The hostages, all adults, were not physically harmed

and did not require medical attention, according to authorities.

"Our prayers were heard. All hostages are safe and sound," Texas Governor Greg Abbott said on his Twitter account.

Source: telemundo

All news articles on 2022-01-16

You may like

News/Politics 2024-04-15T04:16:52.654Z

Trends 24h

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.