The man who died following taking hostages at a synagogue in Texas was identified by the FBI as Malik Faisal Akram, a 44-year-old Briton, and the incident was described on Sunday by the United States and Britain as a “terrorist act”. ».
The four of them hostages – including a respected local rabbi, Charlie Cytron-Walker – were released unharmed on Saturday night in that southern US state following 10 hours of kidnapping.
Biden assured that the incident was “an act of terrorism” related to “someone who was arrested 15 years ago and has been in jail for 10 years”, apparently confirming press reports according to which the kidnapper demanded the release of the Pakistani scientist Aafia Siddiqui, sentenced for terrorism to 86 years in prison.
Biden also promised to “oppose anti-Semitism and the rise of extremism in this country,” speaking to reporters during an event in Philadelphia.
In parallel, the UK Foreign Minister, Liz Truss, also described the episode as an “act of terrorism and anti-Semitism” in a comment on Twitter.
There is “no indication” that anyone else is involved in the attack in the small Texas town of Colleyville, 25 miles northwest of Dallas, according to a statement from the FBI office in that city. The text did not add details regarding Akram or his motives.
Following the end of the standoff on Saturday night, FBI Special Agent Matt DeSarno told reporters in Colleysville that the investigation would be “global in scope.”
“We have been in contact with multiple FBI leads including Tel Aviv and London,” he added.
Police did not say if Akram was killed by the hit team or if he killed himself.
“No involvement”
Siddiqui is the first woman suspected by the United States of links to Al Qaeda, and her cause is celebrated in Pakistan and in South Asian jihadi circles.
She was arrested in Afghanistan in 2008. Two years later she was convicted by a New York court for the attempted assassination of US officers in that country.
She is currently being held in a Fort Worth, Texas prison.
In a statement to CNN, Siddiqui’s attorney said she had “absolutely no involvement” in the hostage situation and condemned the incident.
DeSarno would not confirm the suspect’s claims, but said they were “focused on an issue that was not specifically a threat to the Jewish community.”
A Facebook Live
At one point, the standoff involved some 200 local, state and federal law enforcement officers massing around Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville.
A live feed from the congregation’s Facebook page during the Sabbath morning service appeared to capture the man’s voice speaking very loudly, though it did not show the scene inside the religious center.
In that broadcast a man might be heard saying, “Put my sister on the phone” and “I’m going to die.” He also expressed: “There is something wrong with the United States.”
ABC News reported that the synagogue hijacker was armed and claimed to have bombs in several locations. This has not been confirmed.
One of the hostages was released early in the confrontation. After hours of what police say were extensive negotiations with the suspect, an elite SWAT team stormed the synagogue.
Journalists who were nearby reported hearing a loud bang – probably a fragmentation grenade used as a distraction – and gunshots.
“Horrible”
Ellen Smith, a member of the congregation who grew up going to that synagogue, told CNN that the situation was “shocking and horrifying.”
But he said it is “not surprising” that the crisis is occurring in a Jewish community.
“Instances of anti-Semitism have been on the rise lately, but ever since Jews have walked the Earth, we have been persecuted,” he said.
The incident aroused concern among the Jewish community and the Israeli government, whose Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said he was “closely” monitoring the situation.
Synagogues in several US cities increased security following the attack, although officials said they did not believe the incident was part of a global threat.
