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Ten-hour hostage standoff at Texas synagogue ends with four victims safe and hostage taker dead

An unidentified man swore at hostages on a synagogue's livestream of Shabbat service, asked them not to cry and that "everyone dies" if anyone tries to enter the building.

FORT WORTH, Texas (CN) — A hostage standoff at a Jewish synagogue near Fort Worth ended late Saturday night with all four hostages alive and the hostage taker dead.

A loud bang was heard near the Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville after 9:00 p.m. — over ten hours after the unidentified man entered the synagogue during a morning Shabbat service and began ranting and swearing. He demanded the release of convicted terrorist Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist imprisoned at a nearby prison — Federal Medical Center Carswell in Fort Worth. She was sentenced to 86 years in federal prison in 2010 for trying to shoot and kill U.S. personnel with a rifle while in custody in Afghanistan two years earlier.

The heavily-accented man was heard on a livestream of the religious service repeatedly telling hostages to “not cry” and to “not cry for me” while mentioning his own “six beautiful children.”

“My heart has turned to stone and I am going to die,” the man said before the stream abruptly ended.

The audio-only stream has since been taken down from the synagogue’s Facebook profile.

One of the hostages is believed to be Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker. The hostage taker is heard saying he likes the rabbi, but that “everyone dies” if anyone tries to enter the building.

A male hostage dressed in a robe was released near the six-hour mark due to health reasons. The remaining three hostages remained with the hostage taker until law enforcement entered the synagogue. Over 200 law enforcement officers were at the scene, according to the Dallas field office of the FBI.

Siddiqui, 49, is a neuroscientist dubbed “Lady al-Qaida.” She was educated at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Brandeis University before returning to her native Pakistan. U.S. officials claim she was recruited by the Taliban and used her scientific expertise towards biological and chemical warfare.

Her supporters claim weapons are not related to her field of study and that she is being scapegoated in the post-9/11 war on terror. They claim Siddiqui was abducted and tortured in secret prisons in Afghanistan without due process.

Several attempts at freeing Siddiqui have been made over the years, including failed attempts at trading her for western hostages. One such attempt resulted in the execution of kidnapped journalist James Foley by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.

The synagogue is in a heavily-residential area and residents were not being allowed to return home as of late Saturday afternoon. Several people parked in shopping centers along the highway were seen praying in their cars.

Early media reports incorrectly identified the hostage taker as Muhammad Siddiqui, Sidddiqui’s brother. His attorneys quickly denied it is their client in the synagogue.

The Los Angeles Police Department and Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson separately announced during the standoff they would increase police patrols of synagogues in their cities as a precaution.

Israel Prime Minister Naftali Bennett tweeted he was “closely following” the standoff and was praying for the hostages and rescue personnel.

The Council on American–Islamic Relations said Saturday they “strongly condemn” the hostage taking and that they are in contact with local community leaders to provide assistance.

“This latest antisemitic attack at a house of worship is an unacceptable act of evil,” said Edward Ahmed Mitchell, CAIR’s national deputy director. “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.”

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said President Joe Biden was kept up to speed on the standoff and that “senior members of the national security team are also in touch with federal law enforcement leadership.”

Follow @davejourno
Categories / Criminal, National

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