The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) confirmed that the hostage-taker who was killed in the synagogue was a British citizen, after President Joe Biden said the man used weapons to commit an “act of terrorism.”“.
The office said the hostage-taker was named Malik Faisal Akram, 44, and he was killed after four hostages were safely released on Saturday evening..
Akram’s brother Galbard posted on Facebook that his brother, who is from the industrial city of Blackburn in northern England, suffers from a mental illness. He added that family members spent the entire night at Blackburn Police Station “in contact with Faisal, negotiators, the FBI and others.”“.
“There was nothing we could say or do that would persuade him to surrender,” he added on the Blackburn Muslim Community Facebook page.“.
He said FBI delegates were due to arrive in the UK “later today”, adding that the family could say no more as a result...
Galbard wrote that the family “does not justify any of his actions, and would like to offer a sincere apology to the victims of this unfortunate incident.”“.
“This was an act of terrorism, it was an act of terrorism,” Biden said during a visit to Philadelphia on Sunday“.
“It is alleged, and neither I nor the Minister of Justice has all the facts, that he … obtained the weapons illegally“.
An FBI hostage rescue team stormed the Beth Israel compound in Colville, 26 km northeast of Fort Worth, ending a 10-hour standoff with police. The gunman who disrupted Saturday prayers in the temple took four hostages, including the rabbi.
One of the hostages was released unharmed after being held for six hours, then the FBI team released the remaining three in peace..
Local reporters said they heard explosions, possibly stun grenades, and gunfire inside the temple late yesterday evening..
The Colville Police Department said it initially dealt with the crisis by deploying rapid response teams in response to the emergency calls, which began at about 10:41 a.m. during Saturday prayers that were streamed online. Soon, FBI negotiators began contacting the man who said he wanted to speak with a woman in a federal prison..
The man could be heard speaking in what appeared to be a phone call during a live broadcast of Shabbat prayers at the synagogue on Facebook. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported that before the live broadcast ended, the man could be heard talking loudly about religion and his sister. She added that the man was heard repeatedly saying that he did not want to see anyone injured.
A US official familiar with the matter told ABC News that the hostage taker claimed to be the brother of Pakistani neuroscientist Aafia Siddiqui, who is serving an 86-year prison sentence in the United States after being convicted in 2010 of shooting soldiers and FBI officers. He demands her release.
Afia Siddiqui is being held in a federal prison in the Fort Worth area. Her lawyer, Marwa El-Baili, told CNN in a statement that the man was not Aafia Siddiqui’s brother. She appealed to the man to release the hostages, and said Afia’s family had condemned his “outrageous” actions“.
Although the Texas incident appeared isolated, synagogues in New York and elsewhere in the country have beefed up security in its wake..
US Vice President Kamla Harris said in a statement, “What happened at the House of Israel compound is a reminder of the need to speak louder and fight anti-Semitism and hatred wherever they may be found…Everyone has the right to pray, work, study and spend time with loved ones.”“.
Hours ago, British Foreign Secretary Elizabeth Truss denounced what the gunman had done, describing it as an act of terrorism and anti-Semitism.
“My condolences to the Jewish community and all those affected by the horrific act in Texas. We condemn this act of terrorism and anti-Semitism,” she said on Twitter.“.
“We stand with the United States in defending the rights and freedoms of our citizens against those who spread hate,” she added“.
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