San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
HOSTAGES TAKEN AT SYNAGOGUE
Captives ‘out and alive’ after standoff; suspect dead, sought release of Pakistani woman
Hostages who had been held for hours inside a Texas synagogue were rescued Saturday night, bringing an end to a standoff that had lasted nearly 12 hours.
“Prayers answered. All hostages are out alive and safe,” Gov. Greg Abbott tweeted.
Abbott’s tweet came not long after a loud bang and what sounded like gunfire was heard coming from the synagogue, where authorities said a man had held people captive as he demanded the release of a Pakistani neuroscientist who was convicted of trying to kill U.S. Army officers in Afghanistan.
The hostage-taker was later declared dead, authorities said. Details of the rescue and the man’s death were not immediately released.
Four hostages were inside the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue, according to law enforcement officials. The synagogue’s rabbi was believed to be among the hostages, one official said.
A law enforcement official said the man claimed to be armed but authorities declined to confirm whether he was.
The Colleyville Police Department said one hostage was released uninjured shortly after 5 p.m. Saturday.
Authorities are still trying to discern a precise motive for the attack. The hostage-taker was heard demanding the release of Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani 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, according to the officials. Siddiqui is in federal prison in Texas.
The officials said investigators had not positively identified the man before the hostages were freed and cautioned that the information was based on a preliminary investigation as the situation was still developing.
A 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. The rabbi in New York City called 911 to report the call.
Police were first called to the synagogue around 11 a.m. and people were evacuated from the surrounding neighborhood soon after that, FBI Dallas spokesperson Katie Chaumont said. There were no injuries, the FBI said.
The services were being livestreamed on the synagogue’s Facebook page for a time. The Fort Worth Startelegram 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.
Shortly before 2 p.m., the man said, “You got to do something. I don’t want to see this guy dead.” Moments later, the feed cut out.
Multiple people heard the hostage-taker refer to Siddiqui as his “sister” on the livestream, but Faizan Syed, the executive director of Council on American-islamic Relations in Dallas Fort-worth Texas, told The Associated Press that Siddiqui’s brother, Mohammad Siddiqui, was not involved. Syed said CAIR’S support and prayers were with the people being held in the synagogue.
Congregation Beth Israel is led by Rabbi Charlie Cytron-walker, who has been there since 2006 as the synagogue’s first full-time rabbi. He has worked to bring a sense of spirituality, compassion and learning to the community, according to his biography, and he loves welcoming everyone, including LGBTQ people, into the congregation.
Anna Salton Eisen, a founder and former president of the synagogue, said the congregation has about 140 members and Cytronwalker has worked hard to build interfaith relationships in the community, including doing pulpit swaps and participating in a community peace walk. She described Saturday’s events as “surreal.”
Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist with 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.