According to the governor of Texas, the hostage situation at a synagogue in Colleyville, Texas is over.
"Prayers answered. All hostages are alive and well," Governor Greg Abbott tweeted about 20 minutes after a loud bang and gunshots were heard in the direction of the synagogue.
The condition of the suspect is not yet known.
The resolution came more than 10 hours after a suspect entered the congregation Beth Israel as the synagogue was livestreaming its Sabbath morning service on Facebook. The livestream appeared to be capturing portions of the incident before it was removed. Law enforcement officials told CNN they reviewed the section and used it to gather clues on the incident and the individuals involved.
Two law enforcement officers told CNN that investigators believe the hostage-taker may have been motivated by a desire to release Afiya Siddiqui, who is serving an 86-year sentence at a facility in Texas. He was convicted in 2010 of seven charges, including attempted murder and armed assault on US officials in Afghanistan.
A law enforcement official familiar with the investigation told CNN that there were believed to be four hostages, including a rabbi, at the synagogue in Colleyville, just outside Fort Worth. Several hours into the standoff, Colleyville Police Sgt. Dara Nelson said that a hostage has been released.
Suspect apparently wanted Siddiqui to be released
Officials said it is believed the suspect wanted to release Siddiqui, based on discussions with both the suspect and audio, heard on the synagogue's livestream.
The lawyer representing Siddiqui said on Saturday that he had "no involvement" in taking the hostages at the synagogue and added that the perpetrator is not Siddiqui's brother.
"She doesn't want any violence to be done against any human being, especially in her name," Marva Albili told CNN over the phone. "It clearly has nothing to do with Dr. Siddiqui or his family."
"Whoever the attacker is, we want him to know that his actions have been condemned by Dr. Afia and her family," Albiel said. "We urge you to immediately release the hostages and get yourself inside."
At the request of the hostage taker, the rabbi of the congregation being held hostage is said to be a well-known rabbi in New York City, two officers briefed on the investigation.
The FBI interviewed a New York City-based rabbi who spoke to the first hostage taker on Saturday. Officials said the hostage-taker, who has no ties to the rabbi, told him that Siddiqui had been framed and wanted to release him.
Congregation member Stacey Silverman described being apologetic about the situation between watching the livestream for over an hour, listening to the suspect boast, sometimes saying "I'm not a criminal". She said the suspect was swinging between different languages and "shouting hysterically," she said.
“At some point, I thought there was going to be a gunshot,” Silverman said, adding that the suspect claimed to be the bomb.
The congregation is affiliated with the Beth Israel Union for Reform Judaism, whose website indicates that the congregation serves 157 membership families.
According to the CBI website, the synagogue, established in 1999 with 25 member families, was the first Jewish congregation in northeastern Tarrant County. The CBI community officially opened its doors to its new building in 2005.
CBI conducts Sabbath morning services every Saturday, and members and non-members alike are welcome to watch the livestream from home, a practice many congregations have adopted in the wake of the pandemic.
Who is Afia Siddiqui?
In 2010, Siddiqui was sentenced to 86 years in prison by a federal judge in New York after a 14-day trial. A jury found him guilty of attempted murder of American citizens and government employees, as well as assaults against US officials and employees.
Siddiqui – a Pakistani scientist who graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and earned a doctorate from Brandeis University – was detained in 2008 for questioning by the Afghan National Police, who said they had found handwritten notes that were likely The targets refer to "mass casualty attack," according to a federal indictment.
When a group of Americans attempted to speak to her, prosecutors said she was able to grab an American soldier's rifle and open fire on the interrogation team, although no one was hit by the bullets.
Upon sentencing, the judge found that it was necessary to retaliate against the US government, citing statements made by him, including "I hate Americans" and "Death to America". To demonstrate his actions and intentions.
Siddiqui's defense argued that she was unable to face trial. But Siddiqui repeatedly clashed with his lawyers, imploring the judge, saying, "If anyone thinks it's my paranoia or whatever, I'm not mad. I'm not mentally ill. I I don't agree with that." She also said that she believes Israel is "the mastermind of 9/11."
His sentence has been the subject of regular protests in the US and abroad. Repeated demonstrations have been organized by the Afia Foundation, a group bearing his name. That group has claimed that he was assaulted in prison last year.
His family has said in an interview to CNN that he is not a terrorist.
During a deadly hostage crisis in Algeria in 2013, a spokesman for a terrorist group, along with Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman, the mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center attack, offered to release the hostages if Siddiqui was released from a US prison, who died. the prison.
Siddiqui is being held at a medical facility that is part of a federal prison in Fort Worth, with the release date set for 60 years from now.