Law enforcement in a small town in Texas, United States, were negotiating on Saturday with a man who appears to have taken several people hostage at a synagogue, according to police and local media.
Police in Colleyville, near Dallas, said late morning that an intervention force operation was underway at an address corresponding to the synagogue of Congregation Beth Israel.
A man's voice, agitated at times, could be heard on the Facebook live broadcast of the service.
“I am going to die,” said this man of unknown identity, who repeatedly asked an unidentified interlocutor for his sister to be on the phone.
No injuries so far
"The negotiators have contacted this person and are working towards a safe outcome," Colleyville Police Sgt. Dara Nelson told The Dallas Morning News of the alleged hostage taker.
The number of people in the synagogue is not known and no injuries are to be deplored for the moment, according to the same source.
SWAT (US Special Tactical Forces) and FBI teams are currently on site.
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Police said they are evacuating nearby residents.
The incident was still ongoing at 1:20 p.m. local time (8:20 p.m. in France), police later said, asking the public to avoid the area.
The live broadcast, interrupted at 1:50 p.m. (8:50 p.m.), only showed a lectern, with people inside the synagogue being out of frame.
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