The FBI on Sunday identified the hostage-taker killed in a standoff at a Fort Worth-area synagogue as 44-year-old British national Malik Faisal Akram and said he apparently acted alone.
Dallas FBI chief Matthew DeSarno said the investigation had expanded to Great Britain and Israel, adding that the assailant was specifically focused on an issue not directly connected to the Jewish community. London’s Metropolitan Police said in a statement that its counterterrorism police were working with U.S. authorities.
None of the four hostages were injured. The FBI in Dallas did not elaborate on how Akram died but said in a statement Sunday that the shooting would be reviewed.
"At this time, there is no indication that other individuals are involved," the statement said. "North Texas Joint Terrorism Task Force, which includes member agencies from across the region, will continue to follow investigative leads."
The hostages included Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker, who on Sunday expressed his gratitude to law enforcement for their efforts – and to many others for their prayers.
"I am thankful and filled with appreciation for all of the vigils and prayers and love and support, all of the law enforcement and first responders who cared for us, all of the security training that helped save us," Cytron-Walker wrote in a Facebook post. "I am grateful for my family. I am grateful for the CBI Community, the Jewish Community, the Human Community. I am grateful that we made it out. I am grateful to be alive."
SYNAGOGUES SAFE: All Texas synagogue hostages safe after hourslong standoff
A law enforcement official who spoke to USA TODAY on the condition of anonymity said Akram had demanded the release of Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist serving 86 years in a Texas prison for attempting to kill Americans in Afghanistan. Siddiqui is suspected of having ties to al-Qaida. Akram reportedly also wanted to speak with Siddiqui, housed in a federal prison in Fort Worth.
Local law enforcement and FBI crisis negotiators responded Saturday morning to Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, a city of 26,000 people 15 miles northeast of Fort Worth. The man took four hostages, though one man was later released uninjured, according to the Colleyville Police Department. The standoff ended when an FBI SWAT team stormed the building.
President Joe Biden, visiting a food pantry in Philadelphia on Sunday morning, said the suspect was able to purchase weapons on the street and may have recently come to the U.S. Akram’s immigration status and history were not immediately available.
“Rest assured, we are focused,” Biden said. “The attorney general is focused and making sure that we deal with these kinds of acts.”
Aafia Siddiqui shot at Americans in Afghanistan
Siddiqui was detained in 2008 by Afghan authorities along with handwritten notes that referred to a "mass casualty attack" and that listed various locations in the United States, including the Empire State Building and the Brooklyn Bridge. Other notes referred to the construction of "dirty bombs" and reconnaissance drones, underwater bombs and gliders, according to federal prosecutors.
When U.S. officials attempted to interview Siddiqui in Ghazni, Afghanistan, she grabbed a U.S. Army officer's M-4 rifle and shot at a U.S. Army officer and other members of the U.S. interview team while declaring her intent kill Americans.
Marwa Elbially, Siddiqui’s Texas-based lawyer, told USA TODAY that Siddiqui was not involved in the hostage situation, and that her only brother, an architect who lives in Houston, has confirmed that he has nothing to do with it either.
Islamic group condemns attack on synagogue
John Floyd, chairman of the Houston board of the Council on American–Islamic Relations, said his group stood in solidarity against the "antisemitic attack against a house of worship." Floyd, a lawyer for some members of Siddiqui's family, said she and her family also strongly condemn the attack.
"Dr. Aafia’s family has always stood firm in advocating for the release of their sister from incarceration by legal and non-violent means only," Floyd said in a statement, adding that the attack "directly undermines those of us who are seeking justice for Dr. Aafia."
Assailant reached out to New York rabbi
New York Rabbi Angela Buchdahl said she was brought into the negotiations before the crisis ended. Buchdahl, senior rabbi at Central Synagogue and a leading figure in Reform Judaism, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency and said she was called by the gunman and ultimately spoke twice to the attacker. Central Synagogue said Buchdahl had no prior relationship with the gunman and that she “immediately contacted law enforcement and followed their directions” after receiving the first call.
“It was a surreal and scary day,” Buchdahl told the agency. “I am so grateful for the outcome.”
Ranting heard at synagogue
Saturday’s services at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville were livestreamed on the synagogue’s Facebook page. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported that an angry man could be heard ranting and talking about religion at times during the livestream, which didn’t show what was happening inside the synagogue.
Shortly before 2 p.m., the man said, “You got to do something. I don’t want to see this guy dead.” Moments later, the feed cut out. Meta Platforms Inc., the corporate successor to Facebook Inc., later confirmed that Facebook had removed the video.
Contributing: Kevin Johnson, Claire Thornton and Josh Meyer, USA TODAY; The Associated Press
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