A man took hostage on Saturday during a service at a Texas synagogue, where he was able to rant on a livestream demanding the release of a Pakistani neuroscientist convicted of attempting to kill US Army officers in Afghanistan.
At least four hostages were initially believed to be inside the synagogue, according to three police officers who were not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. The rabbi of the synagogue was said to be among the hostages, one of the officials said. One of the officers said the man claimed to be armed, but authorities have not confirmed if he was.
The Colleyville Police Department said a hostage was released unharmed just after 5 p.m. Saturday. The man was to be reunited with his family and required no medical attention.
Authorities are still trying to determine a precise motive for the attack. The kidnapper was heard demanding the release of Aafia Siddiqui, the Pakistani neuroscientist suspected of links to al-Qaeda, officials said. He also said he wanted to be able to speak to her, officials said. Siddiqui is in federal prison in Texas.
Officials said investigators had not positively identified the man and cautioned that the information was based on a preliminary investigation as the situation was still rapidly evolving.
A rabbi in New York City received a call from the rabbi, believed to be held hostage at the synagogue, to demand the release of Siddiqui, a law enforcement official said. The New York rabbi then called 911.
Police were first called to the synagogue around 11 a.m. and people were evacuated from the surrounding neighborhood shortly after, FBI Dallas spokeswoman Katie Chaumont said. No injuries were reported, Chaumont said.
“It’s an evolving situation and we have a lot of law enforcement officers on the ground,” Chaumont said.
The services were streamed live on the synagogue’s Facebook page for a while. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported that during the live stream, at times, an angry man would be heard ranting and talking about religion, which didn’t show what was happening in the synagogue.
Just before 2 p.m. the man said, “You have to do something. I don’t want to see this guy dead.” Moments later, the feed cut off. A spokesman for Meta later confirmed that Facebook had removed the video.
Several people overheard the hostage-taker refer to Siddiqui as his “sister” on the livestream, but Faizan Syed, the executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Dallas, Fort-Worth, Texas, told The Associated Press that Siddiqui’s brother Mohammad Siddiqui was not involved. Syed said CAIR’s support and prayers are with the people being held in the synagogue.
Texas resident Victoria Francis told the AP that she watched the live stream for about an hour before it was cut off. She said she heard the man rail against America, claiming he had a bomb.
“He was just all over the map. He was quite irritated and the more irritated he got the more threats he made like ‘I’m the guy with the bomb. If you make a mistake, it’s all up to you.” And he would laugh about it,” she said. “He was clearly in extreme distress.”
Francis, who grew up near Colleyville, chimed in after reading about the hostage situation. She said it sounded like the man was on the phone with the police while the rabbi and another person were trying to help with the negotiations.
Colleyville, a community of about 26,000 people, is about 14 miles northeast of Fort Worth. The synagogue is nestled between large houses in a leafy residential area that includes several churches, a middle and elementary school, and an equestrian center.
The Beth Israel congregation is led by Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker, who has served as the synagogue’s first full-time rabbi since 2006. According to his bio, he has worked to instill a sense of spirituality, compassion and learning in the community and he loves to welcome everyone, including LGBT people, to the community.
Anna Salton Eisen, a founder and former president of the synagogue, said the congregation has about 140 members and Cytron-Walker has worked hard to build interfaith relationships in the congregation, including pulpit swaps and participating in a congregational peace march. She described Saturday’s events as “surreal.”
“It’s unlike anything we’ve ever experienced. You know, it’s a small town and a small community,” Eisen said. “Whatever the outcome, it’s hard to imagine how this will change us all, because we certainly will.”
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki tweeted Saturday night that President Joe Biden had been briefed and was receiving updates from senior officials.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said he was closely monitoring the situation. “We pray for the safety of the hostages and rescuers,” he wrote on Twitter.
CAIR, the country’s largest Muslim advocacy group, condemned the attack on Saturday.
“This latest anti-Semitic attack on a house of worship is an unacceptable act of evil,” Edward Ahmed Mitchell, CAIR’s Deputy National Director, said in a statement. “We stand in solidarity with the Jewish community and pray that law enforcement will be able to quickly and safely free the hostages. No reason can justify or excuse this crime.”
Siddiqui earned advanced degrees from Brandeis University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology before being sentenced to 86 years in prison in 2010 on charges of assaulting and shooting at US Army officers after being jailed in Afghanistan two years earlier was. The punishment sparked outrage in Pakistan among political leaders and their supporters, who saw them as victims of the American criminal justice system.
In the years since, Pakistani officials have publicly expressed interest in any type of deal or swap that might lead to her release from US custody, and her case has continued to attract the attention of supporters. For example, in 2018, an Ohio man who prosecutors said was planning to fly to Texas and attack the prison where Siddiqui is being held to free her was sentenced to 22 years in prison.
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