A hostage situation took place in a synagogue in Colleyville, Texas. At least four people are believed to have been taken hostage including a rabbi. During the live streaming of the synagogue’s service, a man came in and began rambling. The feed was then cut and police were alerted.
FBI and the Texas Department of Public Safety assisted the Dallas police department. It is believed that the hostage-taker is partly motivated to free Aafia Siddiqui, who is serving an 86-year sentence at a federal prison in Texas. Siddiqui has been convicted of seven charges, including attempted murder and armed assault on US officers in Afghanistan.
Marwa Elbially, Aafia Siddiqui’s lawyer called CNN and released a statement saying “she [Siddiqui] does not want any violence perpetrated against any human being, especially in her name. It has nothing to do with Dr. Siddiqui or her family.”
Hours later, a loud bang was heard from the synagogue followed by rapid gunfire. At 10:55 p.m. ET, the Colleyville police declared that the situation has been resolved. All the hostages were released and the suspected hostage-taker is dead. After the loud bang was heard, the police response took 20 minutes in total until the hostages were freed.
No additional details have been released about the suspect at this time. Stay tuned for updates on the hostage situation in Texas.