All hostages freed at synagogue in Texas: reports

A hostage situation at a suburban Dallas-Fort Worth synagogue ended Saturday with a bang and what sounded like gunfire, followed by a tweet from Texas’ governor that all the hostages were free, reports said.

“Prayers answered. All hostages are out alive and safe,” tweeted Texas Gov. Greg Abbott at 9:33 p.m. Central time, more than ten hours after the incident began at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville.

The hostage-taker was killed when a SWAT team entered the synagogue to rescue the hostages, said Colleyville Police Chief Michael Miller.

Cops swarmed the synagogue around 11 a.m. Saturday and evacuated the area. Authorities moved in as a rabbi in the synagogue called a New York City rabbi, who in turn called 911, The Associated Press reported.

The hostage-taker claimed to be the brother of Aafia Siddiqui, a suspected Al Qaeda associate convicted of trying to kill U.S. military officers while she was imprisoned in Afghanistan.

The man also claimed to have bombs in unknown locations, ABC News reported.

He took four hostages, including the synagogue’s rabbi. About 5 p.m., one of the hostages was freed, and was reported to be uninjured.

The hostage-taker demanded Siddiqui’s release from a federal prison in Fort Worth, Texas, news reports said.

Siddiqui’s actual brother Muhammad told The Daily Beast through his lawyer that he was not the hostage-taker and not involved.

Aafia Siddiqui was sentenced to 86 years in prison in 2010. The chief plotter of 9/11, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, said Siddiqui was connected to Al Qaeda. Siddiqui was convicted of shooting at U.S. military personnel while she was detained in Afghanistan.