Texas synagogue siege: Justice Dept charges man for 'selling' gun to British hostage-taker

Federal prosecutors on Wednesday booked a man from Texas for selling a pistol to a British national who held four persons hostage in Dallas earlier this month. Henry Williams, a 32-year-old man, has been accused of being a felon for allegedly selling a semi-automatic pistol to Malik Faisal Akram, the 44-year-old hostage-taker on January 15. Williams appeared before the federal court on Wednesday, his attorney told CNN.

The authorities identified Williams after analysing Akram's phone records, which revealed he spoke to the former "several times" between January 11 and 13, the criminal complaint said. However, Williams told the federal investigators he has met with a man with a "British accent" but did not remember his name. Williams was later arrested when he identified Akram's photo and confirmed he sold the gun to him.

"Akram told him the gun was going to be used for intimidation as Akram represented that he wanted to try and get money from someone who had an outstanding debt with him," the court complaint read, as quoted by CNN.

Williams had been earlier incarcerated for assault with deadly weapons and possession of controlled substances. He will currently remain under pre-trial judicial custody until the hearing of January 31. "Federal firearm laws are designed to keep guns from falling into dangerous hands. As a convicted felon, Mr. Williams was prohibited from carrying, acquiring, or selling firearms. Whether or not he knew of his buyer's nefarious intent is largely irrelevant — felons cannot have guns, period, and the Justice Department is committed to prosecuting those who do," US Attorney Char E. Meacham said in a statement.

[Overview of the Congregation Beth Israel, Colleyville, Texas. Image: AP]

Texas synagogue attack

On January 16, a British national, identified as Malik Faisal Akram, held four persons hostage for nearly 10 hours at Congregation Beth Israel near Fort Worth, Colleyville, Texas. At the head of the 11th hour, the FBI SWAT team stormed into the building and fatally shot the assailant. While one hostage was released, three escaped from the synagogue near Dallas, the FBI had said in a statement. US President Joe Biden condemned the incident as "an act of terror." As per reports and Akram's Facebook rants, he was demanding the release of Pakistani neuroscientist Afia Siddiqui, who was convicted of attempting to murder US Army officers in Afghanistan.

Akram had arrived in the States in December via JFK International Airport. Meanwhile, on Wednesday, another two men were nabbed in Manchester as a part of an investigation into the synagogue standoff. The developments come after two men were arrested last week from Birmingham and Manchester.

(Image: AP)