Officials negotiating with man reportedly holding people hostage at a Texas synagogue
‘If anyone tries to enter this building … everyone will die’: Officials negotiating with man who is holding hostages at a Texas synagogue and demanding his sister – terrorist known as ‘Lady Al Qaeda’ – be freed from prison
A Texas man, who is believed to be Muhammad Siddiqui, is reportedly holding four hostages in a Texas synagogue A SWAT team has been deployed and the FBI are negotiating with him as the standoff enters hour sixThe suspect claims his sister is Aafia Siddiqui, who was convicted in New York for trying to kill US military personnel, according to an ABC News report Aafia is also known as ‘Lady Al Qaeda’ and is serving 86 years at FMC Carswell for attempted murder of a US Army captain, with the prison located 24 miles from the synagogue The assailant took the hostages at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville during religious services around 11:30am CSTBefore the live-stream cut off, the assailant can be heard saying, ‘I’m going to die. Don’t cry about me’ The White House is reportedly ‘closely monitoring’ the situationPolice have evacuated nearby residents and Dallas police are patrolling area synagogues
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A man claiming to be the brother of the convicted terrorist known as Lady Al Qaeda stormed a Texas synagogue on the Sabbath and is holding at least four hostages, telling a SWAT team, ‘If anyone tries to enter this building, I’m telling you…everyone will die.’
The assailant, who is believed to be Muhammad Siddiqui, took the hostages at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville during religious services around 11.30am, which were being live-streamed.
The live stream cut off shortly before 2pm local time. Before the live stream cut off, the unknown assailant can be heard saying, ‘I’m going to die. Don’t cry about me’
‘Are you listening? I am going to die,’ he repeated over and over.
He is holding Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker and three other people hostage, according to ABC News.
He is claiming to have bombs in unknown locations, but to what extent the assailant is armed, is unclear.
A SWAT team has set up by a nearby middle school as the hostage situation enters its fifth hour
Authorities are in negotiations with the suspect believed to be Muhammad Siddiqui
There are four hostages inside the synagogue, including the temple’s rabbi
Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker (right) is one of four being held hostage by a man claiming to be the brother of convicted terrorist Aafia Siddiqui (left) known as Lady Al Qaeda
The situation is taking place at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas
Colleyville, Texas, police are conducting SWAT operations and locals are being told to evacuate the area. State police are also assisting the scene as authorities set up by a nearby middle school, according to WFAA. The school is around the corner from the synagogue.
The FBI is negotiating with the man and the FBI can be seen on site. The White House is also ‘closely monitoring’ the situation, according to ABC’s Erielle Reshef.
The suspect claims his sister is the infamous Lady Al Qaeda Aafia Siddiqui, according to Aaron Katersky of ABC News, and he is currently demanding to speak with her.
Aafia Siddiqui, now 49, was jailed for 86 years after being arrested in Afghanistan in 2008 for the attempted murder of a US army captain.
The Pakistani-born neuroscientist was found with two kilos of poison sodium cyanide and plans for chemical attacks on New York’s Brooklyn Bridge and the Empire State Building.
She was handed to the Americans and convicted of attempted murder two years later in a US court.
But her hatred for the US was so strong that during her interrogation she grabbed a rifle from one of her guards and shot at them shouting: ‘Death to Americans.’
She came to the US in 1991 and won a partial scholarship to MIT, where she was a biology major. In 1993, she wanted to do ‘something to help our Muslim brothers and sisters’ even if it meant breaking the law.
She moved to Texas to be near her brother, the reported hostage taker, who is listed as an architect in Houston.
The mother of three was radicalized after the 9/11 terror attacks, divorcing her husband and moving back to Pakistan, where she remarried Ammar Al-Baluchi, the nephew of 9/11 architect Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.
She is serving an 86-year sentence at the Federal Medical Center, Carswell in Fort Worth, about 25 miles from the hostage site at the Texas temple.
During her trial, Aafia demanded that every jury member get DNA tested to see if they were Jewish.
‘I have a feeling everyone here is them [Jews], subject [them] to genetic testing… They should be excluded if you want to be fair,’ she told a federal judge in 2010.
The Muslim man can be heard saying the live stream (pictured) that he was ‘going to die’ repeatedly. It is unclear who he was saying this too
A member of the congregation shared pictures of the rabbi and said she ‘never thought this could happen’
Local police are assisting in evacuations of local residents
The Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is also ‘closely monitoring’ the situation. He wrote on Twitter: ‘I am closely monitoring the hostage situation taking place in Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas.
‘We pray for the safety of the hostage and rescuers.’
US Press Secretary Jen Psaki wrote on Twitter that President Joe Biden has also been briefed on the situation.
‘He will continue to receive updates from his senior team as the situation develops. Senior members of the national security team are also in touch with federal law enforcement leadership,’ Psaki wrote.
A Colleyville spokesperson told CNN:’The FBI negotiators are the ones who have contact with the person in the building.’
Police have noted that there is no current threat to the general public, but Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson has deployed additional patrol units at area synagogues.
The Israeli Prime Minister is also monitoring the situation.
President Biden has been briefed on the situation and will received updates as they come in
Armored vehicles have been seen in the area
Emergency response vehicles are currently on site as well, as the four hostages are still inside
There are currently no reported injuries or fatalities.
Social media users have been offering prayers for Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker, but his condition and location are unknown.
Congregation Beth Israel is a Reform Jewish synagogue in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area, which has about 70,000 Jewish people, one of the largest communities in the state.
This is a developing story, check back for updates.
Colleyville Police, as well as a SWAT team and state troopers, are on the scene and are telling locals to evacuate
The four hostages are being held inside the synagogue (pictured in 2020)
