Hostage crisis at Colleyville Synagogue in US' Texas: Here's all we know

On Saturday, January 15, an armed man held four people as hostages for more than 10 hours at the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue in Colleyville, United States. He was also heard shouting on a live stream and demanding the release of a Pakistani terrorist convicted of attempting to kill US Army personnel in Afghanistan. However, all the hostages were freed after long hours of a standoff between the armed man and the local, state, and federal law enforcement. Meanwhile, the man, who took the people in hostages, was shot dead during a police operation. 

The incident occurred during a live stream of the Shabbat service on Facebook, which lasted over an hour after the suspect entered the facility before being abruptly cut off. The perpetrator was said to be acting alone and was armed with a weapon. Although the suspect's face was not seen during the live stream, he could be heard saying he was "going to die doing this" and pleaded with someone not to cry about his fate, Sputnik reported. 

The hostage-taker was identified as the brother of an al-Qaeda terrorist

Later the hostage-taker was contacted by FBI negotiators. However, the perpetrator reportedly threatened to kill hostages if authorities tried to attempt an assault. He was identified by the media as the brother of convicted terrorist Aafia Siddiqui, who was allegedly linked to al-Qaeda. She was sentenced to 86 years in prison on the charges of attempting to kill a US soldier in 2010. The incident also drew the attention of the US government and President Joe Biden closely monitored the situation taking regular updates, as per Sputnik. The attack was termed as "something that you cannot comprehend" by members of the local Muslim community. 

Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker headed Congregation Beth Israel since 2006

It is pertinent to mention here that Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker has headed Congregation Beth Israel since 2006 when he became the synagogue's first full-time rabbi. According to his biography, he has strived to instil a feeling of spirituality, compassion, and learning in the community, and he loves embracing everyone, including LGBT individuals, into the congregation. According to Anna Salton Eisen, former president of the synagogue, Cytron-Walker has worked hard to create interfaith relationships in the community, including undertaking pulpit swaps and participating in a community peace walk, the Associated Press (AP) reported. 

Image: AP