Page 3 - ARUBA TODAY JAN 17 2022

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U.S. NEWS Monday 17 January 2022
British national ID’d as hostage-taker at Texas synagogue

By Jake Bleigerg, Eric tuck- elementary school and a
er and Michael Balsamo horse farm.
Associated press By Sunday morning, the po-
(AP) — Authorities on Sun- lice perimeter around the
day identified a 44-year- synagogue had shrunk to
old British national as the half a block in either direc-
man who took four people tion and FBI agents could
hostage at a Texas syna- be seen going in and out of
gogue for 10 hours before the building. A sign saying
an FBI SWAT team stormed “Love” — with the “o” re-
the building, ending a placed with a Star of David
tense standoff that Presi- — was planted in a neigh-
dent Joe Biden called “an bor’s lawn.
act of terror.” Congregation Beth Israel
Malik Faisal Akram was shot is led by Rabbi Charlie Cy-
and killed after the last of tron-Walker, who has been
the hostages got out at there since 2006 as the
around 9 p.m. Saturday at synagogue’s first full-time
Congregation Beth Israel rabbi. He has worked to
near Fort Worth. In a state- bring a sense of spirituality,
ment, the FBI said there compassion and learning
was no indication that any- to the community, accord-
one else was involved, but Police stand in front of the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue, Sunday, Jan. 16, 2022, in Col- ing to his biography on the
it didn’t provide a possible leyville, Texas. A man held hostages for more than 10 hours Saturday inside the temple. (AP Photo/ temple’s website, and he
motive. Brandon Wade) loves welcoming everyone,
Akram could be heard including LGBT people, into
ranting on a Facebook thorities about the incident. rounding neighborhood undermine those of us who the congregation.
livestream of the services FBI Special Agent in Charge soon after that, FBI Dal- are seeking justice for Dr. In a Sunday morning post
and demanding the re- Matt DeSarno said the hos- las spokeswoman Katie Aafia,” said Floyd, who also on what appears to be
lease of a Pakistani neuro- tage-taker was specifically Chaumont said. is legal counsel for Moham- Cytron-Walker’s Facebook
scientist who was convict- focused on an issue not Saturday’s services were mad Siddiqui. “We have page, the rabbi thanked
ed of trying to kill U.S. Army directly connected to the being livestreamed on confirmed that the family law enforcement and first-
officers in Afghanistan. Jewish community, and the synagogue’s Face- member being wrongly ac- responders. “I am grateful
The FBI and police spokes- there was no immediate in- book page for a time. The cused of this heinous act we made it out. I am grate-
women declined to answer dication that the man was Fort Worth Star-Telegram is not near the DFW Metro ful to be alive,” he wrote.
questions Saturday night part of any broader plan. reported that an angry area.” Rabbi Andrew Marc Paley
about who shot Akram But DeSarno said the agen- man could be heard rant- Texas resident Victoria of Dallas, who was called to
when the standoff ended. cy’s investigation “will have ing and talking about re- Francis told the AP that she the scene to help families
Video from Dallas TV sta- global reach.” ligion at times during the watched about an hour of and hostages upon their
tion WFAA showed people It wasn’t clear why Akram livestream, which didn’t the livestream before it cut release, said Cytron-Walk-
running out a door of the chose the synagogue. show what was happening out. She said she heard the er acted as a calm and
synagogue, and then a Law enforcement officials inside the synagogue. man rant against America comforting presence who
man holding a gun open- who were not authorized Shortly before 2 p.m., the and claim he had a bomb. was responsive to the in-
ing the same door just sec- to discuss the ongoing in- man said, “You got to do “He was just all over the structions given to him. The
onds later before he turned vestigation and who spoke something. I don’t want to map. He was pretty irritat- first hostage was released
around and closed it. Mo- to The Associated Press on see this guy dead.” Mo- ed and the more irritated shortly after 5 p.m. That was
ments later, several rounds the condition of anonym- ments later, the feed cut he got, he’d make more around the time food was
of gunfire could be heard, ity earlier said the hostage- out. A spokesperson for threats, like ‘I’m the guy delivered to those inside
followed by the sound of taker demanded the re- Meta Platforms Inc., the with the bomb. If you make the synagogue, but Paley
an explosion. lease of Aafia Siddiqui, a corporate successor to a mistake, this is all on you.’ said he did not know if the
“Rest assured, we are fo- Pakistani neuroscientist Facebook Inc., later con- And he’d laugh at that,” food delivery was part of
cused,” Biden said during a suspected of having ties to firmed that Facebook had she said. “He was clearly in the negotiations.
visit to a food pantry in Phil- al-Qaida who is in a fed- removed the video. extreme distress.” “He appeared a little un-
adelphia on Sunday morn- eral prison in Texas. He also Multiple people heard the Francis, who grew up near fazed, actually, but I don’t
ing. “The attorney general said he wanted to be able hostage-taker refer to Sid- Colleyville, tuned in after know if that was sort of
is focused and making sure to speak with her, accord- diqui as his “sister” on the she read about the hos- shock or just the moment,”
that we deal with these ing to the officials, one of livestream. But John Floyd, tage situation. She said it Paley said of the first hos-
kinds of acts.” whom confirmed that the board chair for the Hous- sounded like the man was tage after his release. “He
Biden said the suspect was hostage-taker was a British ton chapter of the Council talking to the police de- was calm and grateful to
able to purchase weapons national. on American-Islamic Rela- partment on the phone, law enforcement and Rab-
on the street and may have A rabbi in New York City tions, — the nation’s largest with the rabbi and another bi Charlie.”
only been in the country a received a call from the Muslim advocacy group — person trying to help with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali
few weeks. U.S. Immigration rabbi believed to be held said Siddiqui’s brother, Mo- the negotiations. Bennett said on Twitter that
and Customs Enforcement hostage in the synagogue hammad Siddiqui, was not Colleyville, a community he had been monitoring the
did not immediately re- to demand Siddiqui’s re- involved. of about 26,000 people, is situation closely. “This event
spond to questions Sunday lease, a law enforcement “This assailant has nothing about 15 miles (23 kilome- is a stark reminder that an-
about Akram’s immigration official said. The New York to do with Dr. Aafia, her ters) northeast of Fort Worth. tisemitism is still alive and
status and history. rabbi then called 911. family, or the global cam- The synagogue is nestled we must continue to fight
London’s Metropolitan Po- Police were first called to paign to get justice for Dr. among large houses in a it worldwide,” he wrote. He
lice said in a statement that the synagogue around Aafia. We want the assail- leafy residential neighbor- said he was “relieved and
its counter-terrorism police 11 a.m. and people were ant to know that his actions hood that includes several thankful” that the hostages
were liaising with U.S. au- evacuated from the sur- are wicked and directly churches, a middle and were rescued.q