SWAT members stationed near the Congregation Beth Israel Synagogue in Colleyville, Texas
Collieville:
The state governor said all the hostages were freed late Saturday after an hours-long standoff at a Texas synagogue where a man apparently demanded the release of a convicted terrorist, several held captive. Were.
Nearly 10 hours into the crisis, Greg Abbott tweeted that “all hostages are alive and well” at 9:30 p.m. (0330 Sunday GMT).
There were reports of journalists at the scene of a loud explosion and gunfire in the synagogue just before Abbott made the announcement. A hostage had been safely released a few hours earlier. It was not clear how many people had been taken hostage.
With reports that the synagogue’s much-loved rabbi was among at least four, the standoff caused concern from Jewish organizations across the United States, as well as the Israeli government.
According to the White House, President Joe Biden was also briefed about the hostage situation.
Police said they were alerted to an emergency Saturday morning at the Beth Israel Congregation in Collieville, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) west of Dallas, with reports spreading rapidly that it was a hostage situation.
ABC News reported that the hostage taker was armed and claimed to have planted bombs at undisclosed locations.
ABC cited a US official with knowledge of the matter as saying that the man was seeking the release of Afiya Siddiqui, who has been dubbed “Lady Qaida” by US tabloids.
ABC initially said that the man claimed to be Siddiqui’s brother, but later clarified that his brother was in Houston. Other experts said that the word used in Arabic was more figurative and meant “sister” in the Islamic faith.
Afia Siddiqui’s lawyer said in a statement to CNN that she had “absolutely no involvement” in the hostage situation. The lawyer confirmed that the man was not Siddiqui’s brother and added that she condemned his actions.
Siddiqui, a former Pakistani scientist, was sentenced in 2010 to 86 years in prison by a New York court for attempting to assassinate US officials in Afghanistan. The high-profile case has created an uproar in Pakistan.
He is currently lodged in the Federal Medical Center (FMC) prison in Fort Worth, Texas.
fbi on scene
A live stream of the congregation’s Shabbat morning service, available on Facebook for nearly four hours during the standoff, appeared to capture audio of a man talking out loud – although it was not showing the inside of the building.
In it he can be heard saying, “You call my sister on the phone,” and “I’m going to die.”
He was also heard saying: “Something is wrong with America.”
Colleyville Police said in a tweet at 11:30 a.m. that it was “conducting a SWAT operation” at the Beth Israel Congregational address.
According to an AFP reporter, FBI agents were also at the scene, as well as the Collyville Fire and Rescue Truck, Dallas Police and police from the nearby city of Southlake.
‘Horrible’
Beth Israel congregation member Ellen Smith, who grew up attending the synagogue, described the situation as “shocking and appalling” in a CNN interview.
She said the congregation was a “tight” community, and the rabbi in particular was “the best person I think anyone could ever meet.”
But she said it was “not shocking” that a crisis broke out in a Jewish community.
“Recently there has been an increase in anti-Semitism, but since the Jews were the first to walk the earth, we have been persecuted,” he said. “It almost feels hopeless.”
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Israel was monitoring the situation and praying for the safety of the hostages.
“No one should ever be afraid to gather at their place of worship,” the Jewish Community Relations Council said in a statement.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations condemned the hostage situation and said it was in contact with Colville Jewish leaders to “provide any assistance possible”.
Rabbi Joseph Potasnik, executive vice president of the New York Board of Rabbis, said he was grateful to people of all religious backgrounds to express concern and hope for a peaceful outcome.
But he warned that the violence with the synagogue would not stop.
He told CNN, “Whoever hates me today will hate you tomorrow. So it may start with the Jews. It doesn’t stop with the Jews.”
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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