| See Day 1 reports here and here. Also discussed yesterday here and here (including a link to audio of the jihadi, so you can judge his accent for yourself, dear Reader) |
The unnamed assailant was initially misidentified as Muhammad Siddiqui, the brother of Pak neuroscientist Aafia Siddiqui
...American-educated Pak cognitive neuroscientist who was convicted of assault with intent to murder her U.S. interrogators in Afghanistan. In September 2010, she was sentenced to 86 years in jug after a three-ring trial. Siddiqui, using the alias Fahrem or Feriel Shahin, was one of six alleged al-Qaeda members who bought $19 million worth of blood diamonds in Liberia immediately prior to 9-11-01. Since her incarceration Paks have taken her to their heart and periodically erupt into demonstrations, while the government tries to find somebody to swap for her..., who was convicted in Manhattan Federal Court in 2010 of trying to kill US authorities in Afghanistan. She is currently serving an 86-year prison sentence at the Federal Medical Center, Carswell in nearby Fort Worth, according to public records.
A rep for Muhammad Siddiqui later claimed he had nothing to do with the incident, even though the man who stormed Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville claimed to be Aafia Siddiqui’s brother, according to the Daily Beast.
At some point, the hostage taker — who was caught on the synagogue’s livestream angrily ranting about religion — forced Congregation Beth Israel Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker to place a call to Manhattan’s Central Synagogue, a law enforcement source told The Post.
The man demanded to speak to Rabbi Angela Buchdahl, and asked her to use her "influence" to help get Siddiqui released before claiming to have a bomb, the source said.
Buchdahl called 911, the source said. It’s unclear what connection, if any, the 49-year-old Buchdahl has to the Siddiqui case.
Siddiqui is serving an 86-year prison sentence in nearby Fort-Worth, according to public records.
The incident unfolded just after 10:30 a.m. Texas time, according to the Colleyville Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The live stream had 8,000 viewers before it was cut off at 2 p.m.; during the broadcast, the man could be heard saying, "If anyone tries to enter this building, I’m tellin you ... everyone will die," and could be heard repeating, "I’m going to die. Don’t cry about me," according to the Jerusalem Post.
Police in Colleyville, a community near Dallas-Fort Worth, dispatched a SWAT team to the residential neighborhood surrounding the temple. They warned residents to stay away from the immediate area, according to social media and a tweet by Colleyville police.
The angry man can be heard ranting about religion on the ongoing livestream, the Fort Worth Telegram reported. However,
denial ain't just a river in Egypt...
the video did not show what is taking place in the temple, and it was unclear how many people were in the synagogue, the newspaper reported.
On social media, many were offering prayers for Cytron-Walker, leader of the Reform Jewish congregation that was established in 1999, according to its Facebook page.
The feds claimed the MIT-trained Aafia Siddiqui was an al Qaeda associate when she was arrested in 2008 carrying handwritten plans for a radioactive "dirty bomb," along with a list of New York landmarks.
FBI says no ongoing threat after hostages released
[IsraelTimes] After the hostage situation concluded with the release of all four people who were held at Congregation Beth Israel, a representative for the FBI
...Formerly one of the world's premier criminal investigation organizations, something for a nation to be proud of. Now it's a political arm of the Deep State oligarchy that is willing to trump up charges, suppress evidence, or take out insurance policies come election time...says there is no ongoing threat.
"I do not have any information right now that indicates that this is part of any kind of ongoing threat," says Matthew Desarno, the special agent in charge of FBI Dallas during a briefing with news hounds at a press staging area a quarter of a mile from the synagogue.
"We obviously are investigating, and will continue to investigate," he says, noting that the area remains an active scene of the crime.
Over 200 law enforcement officers were involved in the hostage situation throughout the day, including a special hostage rescue team of 60 to 70 members who flew in from Washington, DC.
The hostage rescue team breached the synagogue at around 9 p.m., Colleyville Police Chief Mike Miller says.
All of the hostages were adults, he adds.
Area residents who were evacuated from the neighborhood are still not allowed to return home, since the area is an active scene of the crime, a police representative told The Times of Israel.
In recording, hostage taker appears to say synagogue allowed him inside
[IsraelTimes] The hostage taker at a Texas synagogue can apparently be heard saying in a live video from the synagogue that congregants let him into the building.
The synagogue was live streaming a service on Facebook when the incident began and broadcast the first few hours of the crisis.
Facebook removed the video, but in segments that have been posted online, the attacker can be heard speaking, although much of what he says in unintelligible.
At one point, he says "They let me in. I said ’Is this a night shelter?’ and they let me in and they gave me a cup of tea so I do feel bad."
"I like the rabbi, he’s a good guy, I bonded with him, I really like him... I’ve only been here for a couple hours but I can see he’s a good guy," the attacker says.
