Synagogue hostage taker demands release of extremist

COLLEYVILLE, Texas — A man took hostages Saturday during services at a Texas synagogue where the suspect could be heard ranting in a live stream and demanding the release of a Pakistani scientist who was convicted of trying to kill U.S. Army officers in Afghanistan, authorities said.

At least four hostages were initially believed to be inside the synagogue in Colleyville, about 15 miles from Fort Worth, according to three law enforcement officials who spoke to the Associated Press on the condition of anonymity. The synagogue’s rabbi was believed to be among the hostages. The Colleyville Police Department said one hostage was released uninjured shortly after 5 p.m.

The hostage-taker was heard demanding the release of Aafia Siddiqui, a neuroscientist suspected of having ties to al Qaeda, who was convicted of trying to kill U.S. military officers while in custody in Afghanistan, the officials said. He also said he wanted to be able to speak with her. Siddiqui is in federal prison in Texas.

The officials said investigators have not positively identified the man and cautioned that the information was based on a preliminary investigation as the situation was still rapidly developing.

Police were called to the synagogue around 11 a.m. and people were evacuated from the surrounding neighborhood soon after, FBI Dallas spokesperson Katie Chaumont said.

The services were being live-streamed on the synagogue’s Facebook page for a time. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported that an angry man could be heard ranting and talking about religion.

People heard the hostage-taker refer to Siddiqui as his “sister” on the live stream, but Faizan Syed, the executive director of Council on American-Islamic Relations in Dallas Fort-Worth Texas, said Siddiqui’s brother, Mohammad Siddiqui, was not involved.

Siddiqui, who has advanced degrees from Brandeis University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was sentenced in 2010 to 86 years in prison on charges that she assaulted and shot at U.S. Army officers after being detained in Afghanistan two years earlier. The punishment sparked outrage in Pakistan among political leaders and her supporters, who viewed her as victimized by the American criminal justice system.