Texas synagogue hostage-taker had stayed in area shelters

2 years ago 436

COLLEYVILLE, Texas – An equipped antheral who took 4 radical hostage during a 10-hour standoff astatine a Texas synagogue had spent clip successful country stateless shelters successful the 2 weeks starring up to the attack, and was dropped disconnected astatine 1 by idiosyncratic helium appeared to know.

Malik Faisal Akram, a 44-year-old British national who authorities identified arsenic the hostage-taker, was brought to the structure successful downtown Dallas connected Jan. 2 by a antheral who hugged him and had conversations with him, said Wayne Walker, CEO and pastor of OurCalling, which provides services to stateless people.

“He was dropped disconnected by idiosyncratic that looked similar helium had a narration with him,” said Walker, who said they'd turned photos and video implicit to the FBI.

An FBI spokeswoman said precocious Monday that they did not person immoderate accusation they could corroborate regarding Akram’s enactment astatine the OurCalling facility. The bureau has said determination was nary aboriginal denotation that anyone other was progressive successful the hostage-taking.

Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker told “ CBS Mornings” that he'd fto Akram into Congregation Beth Israel connected Saturday greeting due to the fact that helium appeared to request shelter. The synagogue is successful Colleyville, a metropolis of astir 26,000 radical located 30 miles (48 kilometers) northwest of Dallas.

Cytron-Walker said the antheral wasn't threatening oregon suspicious astatine first, but aboriginal helium heard a weapon click arsenic helium was praying.

The rabbi and 3 different men were participating successful the work that was being livestreamed erstwhile they were taken hostage. The archetypal hostage was released soon earlier 5 p.m. Cytron-Walker and 2 others escaped astir 9 p.m., erstwhile Cytron-Walker threw a seat astatine the gunman.

“The exit wasn’t excessively acold away,” Cytron-Walker said. “I told them to go. I threw a seat astatine the gunman, and I headed for the door. And each 3 of america were capable to get retired without adjacent a changeable being fired.”

Akram was killed aft the hostages ran out. Authorities person declined to accidental who changeable Akram, saying it was inactive nether investigation.

Video of the standoff’s extremity from Dallas TV presumption WFAA showed radical moving retired a doorway of the synagogue, and past a antheral holding a weapon opening the aforesaid doorway conscionable seconds aboriginal earlier helium turned astir and closed it. Moments later, respective shots and past an detonation could beryllium heard.

The FBI connected Sunday nighttime issued a connection calling the ordeal “a terrorism-related matter, successful which the Jewish assemblage was targeted" and said the Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating. The bureau noted that Akram spoke repeatedly during negotiations astir a captive who is serving an 86-year condemnation successful the U.S. The connection followed comments Saturday from the peculiar cause successful complaint of the FBI’s Dallas tract bureau that the hostage-taker was focused connected an contented “not specifically related to the Jewish community.”

Akram could beryllium heard ranting connected a Facebook livestream of the services and demanding the merchandise of Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist suspected of having ties to al-Qaida who was convicted of trying to termination U.S. Army officers successful Afghanistan.

“The past hr oregon truthful of the standoff, helium wasn’t getting what helium wanted. It didn’t look good. It didn’t dependable good. We were terrified," Cytron-Walker told “CBS Mornings.”

At a work held Monday evening astatine a adjacent Methodist church, Cytron-Walker said the magnitude of “well-wishes and kindness and compassion” has been overwhelming.

“Thank you for each of the compassion, from the bottommost of my heart,” Cytron-Walker said.

“While precise fewer of america are doing OK close now, we’ll get done this,” helium said.

The probe stretched to England, wherever precocious Sunday constabulary successful Manchester announced that 2 teenagers were successful custody successful transportation with the standoff. Greater Manchester Police tweeted that counter-terrorism officers had made the arrests but did not accidental whether the brace faced immoderate charges.

British media, including the Guardian, reported Tuesday that Akram had been nether probe by the home information service, MI5, arsenic a imaginable “terrorist threat” successful 2020. The probe was closed aft authorities concluded Akram posed nary threat, the reports said.

Britain’s Home Office did not instantly remark connected the reports.

President Joe Biden called the occurrence an enactment of terror. Speaking to reporters successful Philadelphia connected Sunday, Biden said Akram allegedly purchased a limb connected the streets.

Federal investigators judge Akram purchased the handgun utilized successful the hostage-taking successful a backstage sale, according to a idiosyncratic acquainted with the substance who spoke connected information of anonymity due to the fact that the probe is ongoing. Akram arrived successful the U.S. astatine Kennedy Airport successful New York astir 2 weeks ago, a instrumentality enforcement authoritative said.

Akram arrived successful the U.S. connected a tourer visa from Great Britain, according to a U.S. authoritative who spoke connected information of anonymity due to the fact that the accusation was not intended to beryllium public. London’s Metropolitan Police said its counter-terrorism constabulary were moving with U.S. authorities.

U.K. Home Secretary Priti Patel told the House of Commons connected Monday that she had spoken to her U.S. counterpart, Alejandro Mayorkas, and offered “the afloat support” of the constabulary and information services successful Britain successful the investigation.

After staying astatine the OurCalling installation connected Jan. 2, helium stayed successful different Dallas stateless shelter.

Akram stayed 3 nights betwixt Jan. 6 and Jan. 13 astatine Union Gospel Mission Dallas, the stateless shelter’s CEO, Bruce Butler, told CNN. According to their records, Akram near determination for the past clip connected Jan. 13 — 2 days earlier helium took the hostages astatine the synagogue.

Akram utilized his telephone during the people of negotiations to pass with radical different than instrumentality enforcement, according to a instrumentality enforcement authoritative who was not authorized to sermon an ongoing probe by sanction and spoke connected information of anonymity.

It wasn’t wide wherefore Akram chose the synagogue, though the situation wherever Siddiqui is serving her condemnation is successful Fort Worth.

An lawyer successful Texas who represents Siddiqui said Monday that Siddiqui had nary connections to Akram.

“She said from the opening erstwhile she was sentenced that she does not privation immoderate unit done successful her sanction and she doesn’t condone immoderate benignant of unit being done,” said lawyer Marwa Elbially.

Akram, who was called Faisal by his family, was from Blackburn, an concern metropolis successful northwest England. His household said he'd been “suffering from intelligence wellness issues.”

“We would besides similar to adhd that immoderate onslaught connected immoderate quality being, beryllium it a Jew, Christian oregon Muslim, etc. is incorrect and should ever beryllium condemned,” his brother, Gulbar Akram, wrote.

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Stengle reported from Dallas and Tucker reported from Washington, D.C. Also contributing to this study were Associated Press writers Paul J. Weber and Acacia Coronado successful Austin; Michael Balsamo successful Washington; and Danica Kirka and Sylvia Hui successful London.

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