Hostages freed as FBI storms a Texas Synagogue and killing the gunman

Emergency responders are seen near a synagogue where a man has reportedly taken people hostage at a synagogue during services that were being streamed live, in Colleyville, Texas, U.S. January 15, 2022. REUTERS/Shelby Tauber

On Saturday night, an FBI Hostage Rescue Team invaded a synagogue in Colleyville, Texas, to liberate three remaining captives of a shooter who disrupted a religious service and initiated a standoff with police over ten hours earlier.

On Saturday night, Colleyville Police Chief Michael Miller said that all hostages had been safely freed and killed by the gunman.

Officials claimed the attacker first held four individuals hostage at Congregation Beth Israel, including the rabbi. Six hours later, one captive was released unhurt.

Local journalists reported hearing explosions; presumably, flashbangs and gunshots, soon before Texas Governor Greg Abbott declared the crisis finished.

"Prayers have been answered. "All hostages have been released alive and unscathed," Abbott tweeted. The FBI stated that they had confirmed the gunman's identity but would not disclose it at this time. The FBI declined to identify the reason for his death, saying that the inquiry remained ongoing.

The Colleyville Police Department stated that SWAT teams initially arrived at the synagogue in response to emergency calls commencing at around 10:41 a.m. during the live-streamed Shabbat service. FBI negotiators immediately contacted the individual, who stated that he desired to meet with a woman being imprisoned in federal jail.

There have been no reported casualties among the hostages.
Over the first few hours, the man could be heard conducting a one-sided chat during a Facebook Livestream of the Reform Jewish synagogue's service in Colleyville, some 16 miles (26 kilometers) northeast of Fort Worth. Around 3 p.m. EST, the webcast was switched off (2000 GMT).

According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, before the live stream's conclusion, the man could be heard yelling and discussing religion and his sister. According to the newspaper, the man could be heard repeatedly claiming he didn't want to see anyone injured and that he believed he was going to die.

President Joe Biden received an update on the problem, as did Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.

Barry Klompus, a congregation member since 1999, said he listened in to the broadcast.

"It was agonizing to listen and witness," Klompus recalled in a telephone interview.

According to a US official briefed on the case, the hostage-taker claimed to be the brother of Pakistani neuroscientist Aafia Siddiqui. He is currently serving an 86-year jail sentence in the United States for firing at soldiers and FBI agents in 2010 and is demanding her release.

Siddiqui is currently incarcerated in a federal prison in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Marwa Elbially, a lawyer for Siddiqui, told CNN in a statement that the man was not Siddiqui's brother. 

He pleaded with the man to free the captives, stating that Siddiqui's family had condemned the man's "heinous" conduct.
CAIR, a Muslim advocacy organization in the United States, criticized the man's behavior.

"This latest anti-Semitic attack on Jewish Americans worshiping at a synagogue is sheer wickedness," CAIR stated in a statement.

Klompus stated that he was unaware of any prior severe threats to the congregation.

"While we do not have a security person on duty, we do have a very strong relationship with the local police," he explained.

Publish : 2022-01-16 13:00:00

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