Texas synagogue siege: hostage-taker named as 44-year-old Briton

[SouthBayDem]

Source: The Guardian

A man who died after taking four people hostage at a Texas synagogue has been named by the FBI as 44-year-old British national Malik Faisal Akram.

Akram began a standoff with police after disrupting a religious service at the Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area, and taking hostages including the rabbi. He released one hostage unharmed after six hours.

More than 10 hours after the siege began, members of the FBI’s hostage rescue team stormed the synagogue to free the three remaining hostages. They were said to be “alive and well” after the siege had been brought to an end.

On Sunday, Joe Biden said the gunman had used weapons he got off the street to commit “an act of terror”.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/16/texas-synagogue-siege-hostage-taker-shot-dead-by-fbi-believed-to-be-british

[Roy Rolling]

1. I don't wonder anymore

I used to wonder why a police car was parked outside local synagogues. I initially thought it was one of the congregants.

Ignorance is bliss sometimes, eh?

The realty is too hard to face anymore.

[Jetheels]

2. I recently attended my childhood synagogue,

leaning up against the wall about 3 feet from the Torah was a shotgun.
Times have changed.

[melm00se]

8. When my nephew graduated

from high school, there were half a dozen or so obviously armed security and a dozen more who were not obviously armed (but were) in and around the ceremony.

[Tommymac]

3. We are still deeply wounded here in Pittsburgh.

My wife worked with one of the Squirrel Hill victim's wife when Squirrel Hill shootings happened.

I'll never forget.

Thank God the hostages made it out alive. But their mental hurt is only beginning.

#PittsburghStrong

#ColleyvilleStrong

Solidarity.

[Deep State Witch]

4. My Friend's Ex and Son

My friend's ex-husband and son were on their way to services there. Also, another friend lost her dentist. I went to Chatham, which was right down the road from there, and where the media was set up.

As I said to my husband this morning - how is it that when someone with a non-English name attacks a synagogue, it's terrorism, but a white guy kills 10 people at a synagogue and he's a "trouble lone wolf?"

[oldsoftie]

5. "focused on an issue not directly connected to the Jewish community"

Whatever the heck THAT means

[EX500rider]

6. Yeah I am guessing Colleyville dose not have a lot of Synagogues

He didn't go there by accident

[IronLionZion]

7. He wanted a federal terrorism prisoner released

so his issue had nothing to with any of the people he took hostage.

[JI7]

9. The terrorist he wanted released blamed Jews for what happened to her

[EX500rider]

10. You mean in your opinion, we have no idea why he picked that spot

But I am guessing it wasn't by accident.

[IronLionZion]

12. He's dead or we could ask him

FBI would be questioning everyone to see if there was any connection.

[JI7]

13. Aafia Siddiqui blamed Jews for everything. She wanted jews excluded

from serving in the jury and for people to undergo genetic testing to remove any of them.

How do you not see a connection ?

This is like pretending to be clueless about why Dylan Roof killed the people at the church.

[question everything]

14. She (not his sister) blamed Israel for 9/11

[IronLionZion]

16. I get that the perp targeted Jews

but not the specific individuals he took hostage. It could easily be any synagogue anywhere in America.

I'm sympathetic here. The Indians, especially turbaned Sikhs, who were murdered by racists after 9/11 had nothing to do with 9/11, they were just brown.

And these folks have nothing to do with Aafia Siddiqui, they're just Jewish.

[Igel]

17. Proximity.

Look where Aafia was imprisoned, look where the synagogue is.

[IronLionZion]

18. OK, got it. She's in a Forth Worth prison

that was not apparent in the initial reports, some of which had false information.

[Yandex]

11. I once had to make a delivery to a Jewish child care facility

in a big city. They had what looked almost like blast doors that you had to go through. Very secure. At first I was puzzled, then I remembered where I was.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

15. Rabbi threw chair at Texas synagogue hostage-taker before escaping

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A rabbi who was among four Jewish congregants taken captive at a Dallas-area synagogue said on Monday that he and others managed to escape after he threw a chair at the hostage-taker and then rushed for an exit door.

The ten-hour siege Saturday at the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue in Colleyville, west of Dallas, Texas, ended in gunfire with all four hostages released and the suspect dead. It is not clear whether the gunman took his own life or was killed by members of an FBI hostage rescue team.

The suspect, identified by the FBI as a British citizen, knocked on the synagogue's door during Sabbath prayers and was invited in and offered tea, Rabbi Charlie Cytron Walker, who was among those taken captive, told CBS.

Walker then returned to prayer, after which he said he "heard a click - and it could have been anything - but it turned out it was his gun."

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/rabbi-threw-chair-at-texas-synagogue-hostage-taker-before-escaping/ar-AASRQkX