“There is more we will learn in the days ahead about the motivations of the hostage taker. President Joe Biden issued a statement thanking law enforcement after the hostage situation ended. “No matter how it turns out it’s hard to fathom how we will all be changed by this, because surely we will be.” You know, it’s a small town and it’s a small congregation,” Eisen said as the hostage situation was ongoing. “This is unlike anything we’ve ever experienced. She described Saturday’s events as “surreal.” 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.Īnna Salton Eisen, a founder and former president of the synagogue, said the congregation has about 140 members and Cytron-Walker has worked hard to build interfaith relationships in the community, including doing pulpit swaps and participating in a community peace walk. 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.Ĭongregation Beth Israel is led by Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker, who has been there since 2006 as the synagogue’s first full-time rabbi. 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.Ĭolleyville, a community of about 26,000 people, is about 15 miles (23 kilometers) northeast of Fort Worth.
“He was clearly in extreme distress.”įrancis, who grew up near Colleyville, tuned in after she read about the hostage situation. If you make a mistake, this is all on you.’ And he’d laugh at that,” she said. He was pretty irritated and the more irritated he got, he’d make more threats, like ‘I’m the guy with the bomb. She said she heard the man rant against America and claim he had a bomb. Texas resident Victoria Francis told the AP that she watched about an hour of the livestream before it cut out. “We have confirmed that the family member being wrongly accused of this heinous act is not near the DFW Metro area.” Aafia,” said Floyd, who also is legal counsel for Mohammad Siddiqui. We want the assailant to know that his actions are wicked and directly undermine those of us who are seeking justice for Dr. Aafia, her family, or the global campaign to get justice for Dr. “This assailant has nothing to do with Dr. 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. Multiple people heard the hostage-taker refer to Siddiqui as his “sister” on the livestream. A spokesperson for Meta Platforms Inc., the corporate successor to Facebook Inc., later confirmed that Facebook had removed the video. I don’t want to see this guy dead.” Moments later, the feed cut out. Shortly before 2 p.m., the man said, “You got to do something. 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.
Saturday’s services were being livestreamed on the synagogue’s Facebook page for a time. and people were evacuated from the surrounding neighborhood soon after that, FBI Dallas spokeswoman Katie Chaumont said. Police were first called to the synagogue around 11 a.m. 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.ĭeSarno said Saturday night that the man had been identified “but we are not prepared to release his identity or confirm his identity at this time.”Ī 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. 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.
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