Hostage-Taker at Colleyville Synagogue Demands Release of ‘Lady al Qaeda’ as Stand-Off Continues
(Photo by FBI/Getty Images)
The hostage-taker at Congregation Beth Israel in Texas forced the synagogue’s rabbi, who is one of the four remaining hostages, to contact another prominent rabbi in New York in order to demand the release of convicted terrorist and attempted murderer Aafia Siddiqui.
Police say that Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker and three others are still being held hostage as law enforcement continues to negotiate in what is now an hours-long standoff.
The situation began to unfold during a live Facebook stream, audio only, of the synagogue’s Shabbat services. The man could be heard making demands, saying several times he’s going to die today, and demanding the release of Siddiqui.
The man could also be heard “ranting” about religion, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
As the crisis continued, a rabbi in New York City called 911 to report that the man and Rabbi Cytron-Walker had contacted her by phone to demand the release of Siddiqui, saying she’d been framed.
It was reported that the man claims to be Siddiqui’s brother. However, her biological brother’s long-time attorney and CAIR-Houston Board Chair John Floyd released a statement saying that “the hostage-taker is NOT Dr. Aafia Siddiqui’s brother, who is not even in the same region where this horrible incident is taking place.”
Initial reports described the hostage-taker as a “gunman,” but FBI Dallas spokesperson Katie Chaumont has not confirmed whether the assailant is armed at this time.
It is reported he went to the Colleyville synagogue because it was the nearest one after landing at Dallas-Fort Worth airport.
Update: 7:54 p.m. – Police report one of the four hostages has been released. Haaretz reports:
A male hostage was released uninjured from the Beth Israel synagogue in Colleyville, Texas, where authorities are negotiating with a man who remains inside with three remaining hostages.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
