Synagogue siege: UK nabs 2 men
Two teenagers arrested earlier this week in Manchester were released without charge
London, Jan. 20: Britain’s counter-terror officers on Thursday arrested two men as part of ongoing worldwide investigations into a siege at a synagogue in Texas, US, that ended in the killing of British hostage taker of Pakistani heritage, Malik Faisal Akram. Greater Manchester Police said that officers from the Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) North West had made the arrests in Birmingham and Manchester and the men remain in custody for questioning.
Two teenagers arrested earlier this week in Manchester by officers from CTP North West were released without charge. “Officers from Counter Terrorism Policing North West continue to support US authorities with their investigation into the events in Texas,” a Greater Manchester Police statement said.
“As a result of this ongoing investigation, two men have been arrested this morning in Birmingham and Manchester. They remain in custody for questioning. CTP North West Officers continue to liaise with and support colleagues from other forces,” the statement said.
Akram, 44, from Blackburn in Lancashire, northwest England, was shot dead by an FBI SWAT team 10 hours into a standoff at the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue in Colleyville, Texas. He demanded the release of Pakistani neuroscientist Afia Siddiqui, dubbed “Lady al-Qaeda” for her ties with the terrorist network, being held in detention not too far from the synagogue, following conviction for trying to kill US military officers while in custody in Afghanistan.
All four hostages, including the rabbi, were released unharmed after the long stand-off. An audio recording reportedly from that siege has been obtained by the ‘Jewish Chronicle’ and appears to show how Akram’s UK-based brother attempted to get him to surrender in a phone call.
Gulbar can be heard urging his brother to give himself up, telling him that his hostages are innocent people and asking him to think about his own children. But the gunman tells his brother he has set his heart on dying and wants to “go down as a martyr”. Gulbar had earlier apologised to the victims and said his brother was suffering from mental health issues.
Akram’s friends in Blackburn said his mental health had been getting worse and expressed surprise that he had been able to travel to the US. It has also emerged that Akram had been on the radar of Britain’s MI5 intelligence spies over Islamist terrorism fears, but was eventually deemed not be a national security risk.
US President Joe Biden described the hostage-taking as “an act of terror”, while UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss called it “anti-Semitism”.