All of the four hostages held at a synagogue in Texas have been freed unharmed by the man who took them captive, the state’s governor Greg Abbott said on Sunday, ending a tense ten-hour-long standoff.
“Prayers answered. All hostages are out alive and safe,” Texas Governor Greg Abbott tweeted.
Prayers answered.
All hostages are out alive and safe.
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) January 16, 2022
CNN reported that moments before the hostages were freed, a loud bang, followed by a short blast of rapid gunfire, was heard coming from the direction of the Colleyville synagogue.
The suspect was declared dead by authorities, without disclosing details of the rescue or the man’s death.
A man had disrupted religious services at the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue in Colleyville, Texas and taken at least four people hostage, including the rabbi. What followed was an hours-long standoff between the suspect and law enforcement agencies.
The hostage-taker was demanding the release of a Pakistani neuroscientist, suspected of having links to al-Qaida, who was convicted of trying to kill US Army officers in Afghanistan.
SYNAGOGUE SEIGE: A TIMELINE
The synagogue was livestreaming their Sabbath morning service on Facebook when the hostage situation began on Saturday.
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported that an angry man could be heard ranting and talking about religion and his sister during the livestream, which didn’t show what was happening inside the synagogue.
Police were first called to the synagogue around 11 am and people were evacuated from the surrounding neighborhood soon after that, the Associated Press reported.
FBI negotiators soon opened contact with the man, who said he wanted to speak to a woman held in a federal prison.
Shortly before 2 pm, the attacker said, “You got to do something. I don’t want to see this guy dead.” The man could be heard repeatedly saying he didn’t want to see anyone hurt and that he believed he was going to die, the newspaper said.
Moments later, the feed cut out. A Meta company spokesperson later confirmed that Facebook removed the video.
One hostage was released uninjured shortly after 5 pm Saturday, the Colleyville Police Department said. The man was expected to be reunited with his family and did not require medical attention.
President Joe Biden was briefed on the crisis, and Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said on Twitter he was praying for the safety of the hostages.
HOSTAGE-TAKER’S MOTIVE BEING PROBED
Authorities are still trying to discern a precise motive for the attack.
A US official briefed on the matter told ABC News the hostage-taker had claimed to be the brother of Pakistani neuroscientist Aafia Siddiqui, who is serving an 86-year US prison sentence for her 2010 conviction for shooting at soldiers and FBI agents, and that he is demanding she be freed.
Authorities have not yet confirmed the man’s identity, the official told ABC News.
Siddiqui is being held at a federal prison in the Fort Worth area. A lawyer representing Siddiqui, Marwa Elbially, told CNN in a statement the man was not Siddiqui’s brother. He implored the man to release the hostages, saying Siddiqui’s family condemned his “heinous” actions.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a US Muslim advocacy group, condemned the man’s actions.
“This latest antisemitic attack on Jewish Americans worshipping at a synagogue is an act of pure evil,” CAIR said in a statement.
(With inputs from Agencies)