By: AP & TJVNews.com
The FBI says the man who held hostages for hours inside a Texas synagogue was specifically focused on an issue not directly connected to the Jewish community, as was reported by the AP, late on Saturday night.
Authorities said Saturday night that all four hostages held at Congregation Beth Israel reform temple in Colleyville, Texas are safe and unharmed. One was released during the standoff, three others were rescued when authorities entered the building. Authorities say the hostage taker is dead but are not saying how he was killed.
Texas local media reported that the hostage take has been shot during the rescue of the hostages in the synagogue, which is located between Dallas and Forth Worth. This area of Texas has a fairly substantial Muslim population.
FBI Special Agent in Charge Matt DeSarno said there was no immediate indication that the man had connections to any broader plan but that the agency’s investigation “will have global reach.”
The AP reported that the hostage-taker was heard demanding the release of Aafia Siddiqui, the Pakistani neuroscientist suspected of having ties to al-Qaida, 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.
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 New York rabbi then called 911, according to the AP report.
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.
The services were being livestreamed 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 at times during the livestream, which didn’t show what was happening inside the synagogue.
The AP reported that 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. A Meta company spokesperson later confirmed that Facebook removed the video.
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.
On Saturday evening, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott tweeted. “Prayers answered. All hostages are out alive and safe.
The AP reported that Abbott’s tweet came not long after a loud bang and what sounded like gunfire was heard coming from the synagogue.
The synagogue’s rabbi was believed to be among the hostages, one of the officials told the AP. One of the officials said the man claimed to be armed but authorities had not confirmed whether he was. The rabbi was identified at Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker of Colleyville.
The AP reported that he has been there since 2006 as the synagogue’s first full-time rabbi. Rabbi Cytron-Walker has worked to bring a sense of spirituality, compassion and learning to the community, according to his biography, and he loves welcoming everyone, including LGBT people, into the congregation, as was reported by the AP.
In a statement sent to the media, Rabbi Aryeh Spero, founder and president of the Conference of Jewish Affairs said: “The assailant is a sympathizer with radical Islam, especially the cause of Aafia Siddiqui, an Al Qaeda operative convicted of trying to murder American soldiers and personnel. This is the latest in a series of attacks against synagogues by radical Islamist sympathizers that have affected Jewish congregations from New York and New Jersey, through Texas and as far as California.
Rabbi Spero added: “It is not a random coincidence that the point of attack by a radical Islamist sympathizer is taking place against Jewish individuals and in a Jewish institution. It has been known for many years that radical Islamist supporters here in America target Jewish people and institutions for destruction and even killing.
We ask that the U.S. Department of Justice undertake a long-overdue investigation of circles and enclaves that plan and produce these attacks and instigate followers in Jew-hatred. We further insist that the FBI restore the programs monitoring these enclaves that were for years operational and suddenly were dropped in the name of political correctness or out of fear of being labeled ‘Islamopobic.’
While many in the Jewish community will be reluctant to highlight the Islamist loyalty of the hostage perpetrator out of concern for the reputation of the Islamic community, nevertheless as a Jewish organization we at Conference of Jewish Affairs must first and foremost prioritize the safety of the American Jewish community from these attacks and thus urge the FBI and Justice Department to seriously set their sights on finding the sources fomenting this Jew-hatred.”
The Colleyville Police Department said one hostage was released uninjured shortly after 5 p.m. Saturday. The man was expected to be reunited with his family and did not require medical attention. A law enforcement official said the first hostage who was released was not the rabbi.
The AP reported that Anna Salton Eisen, a founder and former president of the synagogue, said the congregation has about 140 members and Cytron-Walker 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.”
“This is unlike anything we’ve ever experienced. You know, it’s a small town and it’s a small congregation,” Eisen said as the hostage situation was ongoing. “No matter how it turns out it’s hard to fathom how we will all be changed by this, because surely we will be.”
White House press secretary Jen Psaki tweeted Saturday evening that President Joe Biden had been briefed and was receiving updates from senior officials, as was reported by the AP.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said he was monitoring the situation closely. “We pray for the safety of the hostages and rescuers,” he wrote on Twitter.
CAIR, the nation’s largest Muslim advocacy group, condemned the attack Saturday afternoon.
“This latest antisemitic attack at a house of worship is an unacceptable act of evil,” CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell said in a statement. “We stand in solidarity with the Jewish community, and we pray that law enforcement authorities are able to swiftly and safely free the hostages. No cause can justify or excuse this crime.” (Source: AP & TJVNews.com) – (Additional reporting by Fern Sidman)
