Texas synagogue hostage: Suspect demands release of Pak scientist; one released unhurt

A Police SWAT team in the southern US state of Texas is assisting a hostage situation at a synagogue, where officials say the suspect may be motivated by the desire to free a Pakistani scientist who was convicted of attempting to kill US officers in Afghanistan.

In a social media post, the police department in Colleyville said that it was conducting SWAT operations at the Congregation Beth Israel, just outside Fort Worth. It also informed that a male hostage was released uninjured at about 5 p.m. local time.

Hostage situation at Texas synagogue

On Saturday, the synagogue was live-streaming their Shabbat morning service on Facebook when the hostage situation began. The livestream appeared to capture a part of the incident before it was removed from the social media platform. According to media reports, the armed suspect claiming to have bombs in unknown locations took a rabbi and three other hostages at the Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville. 

Law enforcement officials have informed that the hostage-taker is demanding the release of the Pakistani scientist, Aafia Siddiqui, who was convicted of trying to kill US military officers while in custody in Afghanistan. Siddiqui is currently being held at FMC Carswell, a federal prison in Fort Worth Texas. The hostage-taker demanded to speak with his “sister” on the phone amid the ongoing hostage situation. 

It is unclear to what extent the hostage-taker is armed. But it was reported that the suspect was carrying backpacks and had stated that he has explosives. An angry man was heard ranting and talking about religion at times during the live stream which didn’t show what was happening inside the synagogue. The suspect repeatedly mentioned his sister, Islam and that he thought he was going to die. 

There is believed to be only one suspect at this time. The assessment is based on both discussions with the suspect and audio heard on the synagogue's live stream. Presently, law enforcement is hoping to diffuse the situation without doing anything that could jeopardise the safety of the rabbi and other hostages. 

Colleyville police said in a statement there are no injuries among the hostages. FBI Crisis Negotiators are in communication with the subject. It remains an active operational and investigative scene. White House press secretary Jen Psaki tweeted on Saturday that President Joe Biden had been briefed and was receiving updates from senior officials. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said that he was monitoring the situation closely.

(Image: AP)