British national identified as hostage-taker at Texas synagogue
By JAKE BLEIBERG, ERIC TUCKER and MICHAEL BALSAMO Associated Press
Posted:
Updated:
COLLEYVILLE, Texas (AP) — Authorities on Sunday identified a 44-year-old British national as the man who took four people hostage at a Texas synagogue for 10 hours before an FBI SWAT team stormed the building, ending a tense standoff that President Joe Biden called “an act of terror.”
Malik Faisal Akram was shot and killed after the last of the hostages got out at around 9 p.m. Saturday at Congregation Beth Israel near Fort Worth. In a statement, the FBI said there was no indication that anyone else was involved, but it didn’t provide a possible motive.
Akram could be heard ranting on a Facebook livestream of the services and demanding the release of a Pakistani neuroscientist who was convicted of trying to kill U.S. Army officers in Afghanistan. The FBI and police spokeswomen declined to answer questions Saturday night about who shot Akram when the standoff ended.
Video from Dallas TV station WFAA showed people running out a door of the synagogue, and then a man holding a gun opening the same door just seconds later before he turned around and closed it. Moments later, several rounds of gunfire could be heard, followed by the sound of an explosion.
“Rest assured, we are focused,” Biden said during a visit to a food pantry in Philadelphia on Sunday morning. “The attorney general is focused and making sure that we deal with these kinds of acts.”
FBI Special Agent in Charge Matt DeSarno said the hostage-taker was specifically focused on an issue not directly connected to the Jewish community, and there was no immediate indication that the man was part of any broader plan. But DeSarno said the agency’s investigation “will have global reach.”
It wasn’t clear why Akram chose the synagogue.
Law enforcement officials who were not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation and who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity earlier said the hostage-taker demanded the release of Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist suspected of having ties to al-Qaida who is in a federal prison in Texas. He also said he wanted to be able to speak with her, according to the officials, one of whom confirmed that the hostage-taker was a British national.
A rabbi in New York City received a call from the rabbi believed to be held hostage in the synagogue to demand Siddiqui’s release, 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 soon after that, FBI Dallas spokeswoman Katie Chaumont said.
Saturday’s services were being livestreamed on the synagogue’s Facebook page for a time. 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. A spokesperson for Meta Platforms Inc., the corporate successor to Facebook Inc., later confirmed that Facebook had removed the video.
Multiple people heard the hostage-taker refer to Siddiqui as his “sister” on the livestream. But John Floyd, board chair for the Houston chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, — the nation’s largest Muslim advocacy group — said Siddiqui’s brother, Mohammad Siddiqui, was not involved.
“This assailant has nothing to do with Dr. Aafia, her family, or the global campaign to get justice for Dr. Aafia. We want the assailant to know that his actions are wicked and directly undermine those of us who are seeking justice for Dr. Aafia,” said Floyd, who also is legal counsel for Mohammad Siddiqui. “We have confirmed that the family member being wrongly accused of this heinous act is not near the DFW Metro area.”
Texas resident Victoria Francis told the AP that she watched about an hour of the livestream before it cut out. She said she heard the man rant against America and claim he had a bomb.
“He was just all over the map. He was pretty irritated and the more irritated he got, he’d make more threats, like ‘I’m the guy with the bomb. If you make a mistake, this is all on you.’ And he’d laugh at that,” she said. “He was clearly in extreme distress.”
Francis, who grew up near Colleyville, tuned in after she read about the hostage situation. She said it sounded like the man was talking to the police department on the phone, with the rabbi and another person trying to help with the negotiations.
Colleyville, a community of about 26,000 people, is about 15 miles (23 kilometers) northeast of Fort Worth. The synagogue is nestled among large houses in a leafy residential neighborhood that includes several churches, a middle and elementary school and a horse farm.
Congregation Beth Israel is led by Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker, who has been there since 2006 as the synagogue’s first full-time rabbi. He has worked to bring a sense of spirituality, compassion and learning to the community, according to his biography on the temple’s website, and he loves welcoming everyone, including LGBT people, into the congregation.
In a Sunday morning post on what appears to be Cytron-Walker’s Facebook page, the rabbi thanked law enforcement and first-responders, and security training “that helped save us.”
“I am grateful for my family. I am grateful for the CBI Community, the Jewish Community, the Human Community. I am grateful we made it out. I am grateful to be alive,” he wrote.
Anna Salton Eisen, a founder and former president of the synagogue, said the congregation has about 140 members and that Cytron-Walker has worked hard to build interfaith relationships in the community, including doing pulpit swaps and participating in a community peace walk. She described Saturday’s events as “surreal.”
“This is unlike anything we’ve ever experienced. You know, it’s a small town and it’s a small congregation,” Eisen said as the hostage situation was ongoing. “No matter how it turns out, it’s hard to fathom how we will all be changed by this, because surely we will be.”
President Joe Biden issued a statement thanking law enforcement after the hostage situation ended.
“There is more we will learn in the days ahead about the motivations of the hostage taker. But let me be clear to anyone who intends to spread hate—we will stand against anti-Semitism and against the rise of extremism in this country,” Biden said.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said on Twitter that he had been monitoring the situation closely. “This event is a stark reminder that antisemitism is still alive and we must continue to fight it worldwide,” he wrote. He said he was “relieved and thankful” that the hostages were rescued.
The standoff prompted increased security in other places, including New York City, where police said that they increased their presence “at key Jewish institutions” out of an abundance of caution.
Aafia Siddiqui earned advanced degrees from Brandeis University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology before she was sentenced in 2010 to 86 years in prison on charges that she assaulted and shot at U.S. Army officers after being detained in Afghanistan two years earlier. The punishment sparked outrage in Pakistan among political leaders and her supporters, who viewed her as victimized by the American criminal justice system.
In the years since, Pakistani officials have expressed interest publicly in any sort of deal or swap that could result in her release from U.S. custody, and her case has continued to draw attention from supporters. In 2018, for instance, an Ohio man who prosecutors say planned to fly to Texas and attack the prison where Siddiqui is being held in an attempt to free her was sentenced to 22 years in prison.
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Tucker and Balsamo reported from Washington, D.C.; Associated Press writers Jennifer McDermott in Providence, Rhode Island; Michael R. Sisak in New York; Holly Meyer in Nashville, Tenn.; Acacia Coronado in Austin, Texas; and Issac Scharf in Jerusalem contributed to this report.
Petros Giannakouris
Two brothers carrying canisters with a wheelbarrow react on their way to collect water from a stagnant pool, about 3 kilometers (2 miles) from their home in Kamar Kalagh village outside Herat, Afghanistan, Friday, Nov. 26, 2021. Drought in Afghanistan, the worst in decades, is now entering its second year, exacerbated by climate change. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Petros Giannakouris
Two brothers carrying canisters with a wheelbarrow react on their way to collect water from a stagnant pool, about 3 kilometers (2 miles) from their home in Kamar Kalagh village outside Herat, Afghanistan, Friday, Nov. 26, 2021. Drought in Afghanistan, the worst in decades, is now entering its second year, exacerbated by climate change. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
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Petros Giannakouris
Saliha holds her 4-month-old baby Najeeb as he undergoes treatment at the malnutrition ward of the Indira Gandhi Children's Hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2021. Since the chaotic Taliban takeover of Kabul on Aug. 15, an already war-devastated economy once kept alive by international donations alone is now on the verge of collapse. There isn't enough money for hospitals. The World Health Organization is warning of millions of children suffering malnutrition, and the U.N. says 97% of Afghans will soon be living below the poverty line. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
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Petros Giannakouris
A child looks out a window of his home in a neighborhood where many internally displaced people have been living for years, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2021. Since the chaotic Taliban takeover of Kabul on Aug. 15, an already war-devastated economy once kept alive by international donations alone is now on the verge of collapse. There isn't enough money for hospitals. The World Health Organization is warning of millions of children suffering malnutrition, and the U.N. says 97% of Afghans will soon be living below the poverty line. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
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Petros Giannakouris
An Afghan green grocery store owner stands outside his shop as a girl buys bread from a bakery, in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2021. Since the chaotic Taliban takeover of Kabul on Aug. 15, an already war-devastated economy once kept alive by international donations alone is now on the verge of collapse. (AP Photo/ Petros Giannakouris)
Afghan girls participate in a lesson at Tajrobawai Girls High School, in Herat, Afghanistan, Thursday, Nov. 25, 2021. Since the chaotic Taliban takeover of Kabul on Aug. 15, an already war-devastated economy once kept alive by international donations alone is now on the verge of collapse. The World Health Organization is warning of millions of children suffering malnutrition, and the U.N. says 97% of Afghans will soon be living below the poverty line. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Petros Giannakouris
Afghan girls participate in a lesson at Tajrobawai Girls High School, in Herat, Afghanistan, Thursday, Nov. 25, 2021. Since the chaotic Taliban takeover of Kabul on Aug. 15, an already war-devastated economy once kept alive by international donations alone is now on the verge of collapse. The World Health Organization is warning of millions of children suffering malnutrition, and the U.N. says 97% of Afghans will soon be living below the poverty line. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
A man disributes bread to Afghan women outside a bakery in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Thursday, Dec, 2, 2021. Since the chaotic Taliban takeover of Kabul on Aug. 15, an already war-devastated economy once kept alive by international donations alone is now on the verge of collapse. There isn't enough money for hospitals. The World Health Organization is warning of millions of children suffering malnutrition, and the U.N. says 97% of Afghans will soon be living below the poverty line. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Petros Giannakouris
A man disributes bread to Afghan women outside a bakery in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Thursday, Dec, 2, 2021. Since the chaotic Taliban takeover of Kabul on Aug. 15, an already war-devastated economy once kept alive by international donations alone is now on the verge of collapse. There isn't enough money for hospitals. The World Health Organization is warning of millions of children suffering malnutrition, and the U.N. says 97% of Afghans will soon be living below the poverty line. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
A Taliban fighter stands at a check point in Herat, Afghanistan, Sunday, Nov. 28, 2021. Since the chaotic Taliban takeover of Kabul on Aug. 15, an already war-devastated economy once kept alive by international donations alone is now on the verge of collapse. There isn't enough money for hospitals. The World Health Organization is warning of millions of children suffering malnutrition, and the U.N. says 97% of Afghans will soon be living below the poverty line. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Petros Giannakouris
A Taliban fighter stands at a check point in Herat, Afghanistan, Sunday, Nov. 28, 2021. Since the chaotic Taliban takeover of Kabul on Aug. 15, an already war-devastated economy once kept alive by international donations alone is now on the verge of collapse. There isn't enough money for hospitals. The World Health Organization is warning of millions of children suffering malnutrition, and the U.N. says 97% of Afghans will soon be living below the poverty line. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
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Petros Giannakouris
Afghan men sit in a bus at a bus station in Herat, Afghanistan, Monday, Nov. 22, 2021, for a 300-mile trip south to Nimrooz near the Iranian border. Afghans are streaming across the border into Iran, driven by desperation after the near collapse of their country's economy following the Taliban's takeover in mid-August. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
A family warms up next to a makeshift fire outside the Directorate of Disaster office where they are camped, in Herat, Afghanistan, Monday, Nov. 29, 2021. About 2,000 internally displaced people left Allahyar village in Ghor province because of a drought and are seeking help from the regional government in Herat. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Petros Giannakouris
A family warms up next to a makeshift fire outside the Directorate of Disaster office where they are camped, in Herat, Afghanistan, Monday, Nov. 29, 2021. About 2,000 internally displaced people left Allahyar village in Ghor province because of a drought and are seeking help from the regional government in Herat. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Women queue to receive cash at a money distribution site organized by the World Food Program in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021. Thousands of Afghan families are registering for WFP aid because they cannot afford food during the country's economic collapse. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Petros Giannakouris
Women queue to receive cash at a money distribution site organized by the World Food Program in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021. Thousands of Afghan families are registering for WFP aid because they cannot afford food during the country's economic collapse. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Taliban fighters and Afghan men pray in Kamar Kalagh village near Herat, Afghanistan, Saturday , Nov. 27, 2021. Since the chaotic Taliban takeover of Kabul on Aug. 15, an already war-devastated economy once kept alive by international donations alone is now on the verge of collapse. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Petros Giannakouris
Taliban fighters and Afghan men pray in Kamar Kalagh village near Herat, Afghanistan, Saturday , Nov. 27, 2021. Since the chaotic Taliban takeover of Kabul on Aug. 15, an already war-devastated economy once kept alive by international donations alone is now on the verge of collapse. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
An Afghan woman exits a convenience shop in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Dec. 5, 2021. Since the chaotic Taliban takeover of Kabul on Aug. 15, an already war-devastated economy once kept alive by international donations alone is now on the verge of collapse. (AP Photo/ Petros Giannakouris)
Petros Giannakouris
An Afghan woman exits a convenience shop in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Dec. 5, 2021. Since the chaotic Taliban takeover of Kabul on Aug. 15, an already war-devastated economy once kept alive by international donations alone is now on the verge of collapse. (AP Photo/ Petros Giannakouris)
An Afghan man collects scraps of aluminum and plastic, in Herat, Afghanistan, Monday, Nov. 22, 2021. Since the chaotic Taliban takeover of Kabul on Aug. 15, an already war-devastated economy once kept alive by international donations alone is now on the verge of collapse. The World Health Organization is warning of millions of children suffering malnutrition, and the U.N. says 97% of Afghans will soon be living below the poverty line.(AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Petros Giannakouris
An Afghan man collects scraps of aluminum and plastic, in Herat, Afghanistan, Monday, Nov. 22, 2021. Since the chaotic Taliban takeover of Kabul on Aug. 15, an already war-devastated economy once kept alive by international donations alone is now on the verge of collapse. The World Health Organization is warning of millions of children suffering malnutrition, and the U.N. says 97% of Afghans will soon be living below the poverty line.(AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
A boy carries bread in Herat, Afghanistan, Thursday , Nov. 25, 2021. Since the chaotic Taliban takeover of Kabul on Aug. 15, an already war-devastated economy once kept alive by international donations alone is now on the verge of collapse. The World Health Organization is warning of millions of children suffering malnutrition, and the U.N. says 97% of Afghans will soon be living below the poverty line. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Petros Giannakouris
A boy carries bread in Herat, Afghanistan, Thursday , Nov. 25, 2021. Since the chaotic Taliban takeover of Kabul on Aug. 15, an already war-devastated economy once kept alive by international donations alone is now on the verge of collapse. The World Health Organization is warning of millions of children suffering malnutrition, and the U.N. says 97% of Afghans will soon be living below the poverty line. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
A young girl stands outside her home as two dogs lie on the ground in Kamar Kalagh village near Herat, Afghanistan, Saturday, Nov. 27, 2021. Since the chaotic Taliban takeover of Kabul on Aug. 15, an already war-devastated economy once kept alive by international donations alone is now on the verge of collapse. The World Health Organization is warning of millions of children suffering malnutrition, and the U.N. says 97% of Afghans will soon be living below the poverty line. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Petros Giannakouris
A young girl stands outside her home as two dogs lie on the ground in Kamar Kalagh village near Herat, Afghanistan, Saturday, Nov. 27, 2021. Since the chaotic Taliban takeover of Kabul on Aug. 15, an already war-devastated economy once kept alive by international donations alone is now on the verge of collapse. The World Health Organization is warning of millions of children suffering malnutrition, and the U.N. says 97% of Afghans will soon be living below the poverty line. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Brothers fill canisters with water from a pool of stagnant water about 3 kilometers (2 miles) from their home in Kamar Kalagh village outside Herat, Afghanistan, Friday, Nov. 26, 2021. Since the chaotic Taliban takeover of Kabul on Aug. 15, an already war-devastated economy once kept alive by international donations alone is now on the verge of collapse. The World Health Organization is warning of millions of children suffering malnutrition, and the U.N. says 97% of Afghans will soon be living below the poverty line. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Petros Giannakouris
Brothers fill canisters with water from a pool of stagnant water about 3 kilometers (2 miles) from their home in Kamar Kalagh village outside Herat, Afghanistan, Friday, Nov. 26, 2021. Since the chaotic Taliban takeover of Kabul on Aug. 15, an already war-devastated economy once kept alive by international donations alone is now on the verge of collapse. The World Health Organization is warning of millions of children suffering malnutrition, and the U.N. says 97% of Afghans will soon be living below the poverty line. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
A girl walks with the help of her father in Indira Gandhi Children's Hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2021. Since the chaotic Taliban takeover of Kabul on Aug. 15, an already war-devastated economy once kept alive by international donations alone is now on the verge of collapse. There isn't enough money for hospitals. The World Health Organization is warning of millions of children suffering malnutrition, and the U.N. says 97% of Afghans will soon be living below the poverty line. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Petros Giannakouris
A girl walks with the help of her father in Indira Gandhi Children's Hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2021. Since the chaotic Taliban takeover of Kabul on Aug. 15, an already war-devastated economy once kept alive by international donations alone is now on the verge of collapse. There isn't enough money for hospitals. The World Health Organization is warning of millions of children suffering malnutrition, and the U.N. says 97% of Afghans will soon be living below the poverty line. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
A drug addict collects scraps of aluminum and plastic in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2021. Since the chaotic Taliban takeover of Kabul on Aug. 15, an already war-devastated economy once kept alive by international donations alone is now on the verge of collapse. There isn't enough money for hospitals. The World Health Organization is warning of millions of children suffering malnutrition, and the U.N. says 97% of Afghans will soon be living below the poverty line. (AP Photo/ Petros Giannakouris)
Petros Giannakouris
A drug addict collects scraps of aluminum and plastic in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2021. Since the chaotic Taliban takeover of Kabul on Aug. 15, an already war-devastated economy once kept alive by international donations alone is now on the verge of collapse. There isn't enough money for hospitals. The World Health Organization is warning of millions of children suffering malnutrition, and the U.N. says 97% of Afghans will soon be living below the poverty line. (AP Photo/ Petros Giannakouris)
Mohammad Ayoub, 65, the only male left after all the younger men tried their luck in leaving for Iran, stands in front of Jar-e Sawz, the village where he lives on the outskirts of Herat, Afghanistan, Saturday, Nov. 27, 2021. Since the chaotic Taliban takeover of Kabul on Aug. 15, an already war-devastated economy once kept alive by international donations alone is now on the verge of collapse. There isn't enough money for hospitals. The World Health Organization is warning of millions of children suffering malnutrition, and the U.N. says 97% of Afghans will soon be living below the poverty line. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Petros Giannakouris
Mohammad Ayoub, 65, the only male left after all the younger men tried their luck in leaving for Iran, stands in front of Jar-e Sawz, the village where he lives on the outskirts of Herat, Afghanistan, Saturday, Nov. 27, 2021. Since the chaotic Taliban takeover of Kabul on Aug. 15, an already war-devastated economy once kept alive by international donations alone is now on the verge of collapse. There isn't enough money for hospitals. The World Health Organization is warning of millions of children suffering malnutrition, and the U.N. says 97% of Afghans will soon be living below the poverty line. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
An Afghan woman is wrapped in a blanket as she and her family camp outside the Directorate of Disaster in Herat, Afghanistan, Monday, Nov. 29, 2021. About 2,000 internally displaced people left Allahyar village of Ghor province because of the drought that worsened their economic situation and are asking for help from the regional government in Herat. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Petros Giannakouris
An Afghan woman is wrapped in a blanket as she and her family camp outside the Directorate of Disaster in Herat, Afghanistan, Monday, Nov. 29, 2021. About 2,000 internally displaced people left Allahyar village of Ghor province because of the drought that worsened their economic situation and are asking for help from the regional government in Herat. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
