{O/C} {Good evening.}
We begin tonight in Colleyville, Texas. That's where a man took 4 hostages in his possession for more than 10 hours on Saturday local time at a Texas synagogue.
The incident happened during a Saturday Sabbath service.
The motive remains to be determined, but the captor was heard ranting in a livestream, demanding the release of a federal prisoner. Anti-Semitism is reportedly not involved.
After a tense standoff, the four hostages were released unharmed. And according to authorities, for reasons unknown, the captor is now dead.
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A 10-hour-long hostage-taking incident transpired at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville as a Sabbath service was being held live on the Internet.
Video from a Dallas TV station purports to show people fleeing the scene frantically. Moments later, several rounds of gunfire could be heard, with the sound of an explosion.
The armed suspect claiming to have bombs set in unknown locations took a rabbi and three others hostage at the synagogue.
Police officers were dispatched on short notice to evacuate people from the surrounding neighbourhood and houses, where the synagogue is nestled.
The incident teetered on a potential flashpoint, which is why the FBI's elite hostage rescue team was deployed to the scene.
It was at 9:00 p.m. local time when the captor came to grief because the team entered the synagogue after an ominous standoff. The suspect was seen carrying backpacks and had indicated that he has explosives in his possession.
At around 9:30 p.m. local time, the governor tweeted, "Prayers answered. All hostages are out alive and safe," as the victims came out unscathed in the nick of time.
While the United States has long been suffering the depredations of anti-Semitism, an FBI Special Agent tasked with rescuing the hostages say the hostage taker was specifically focused on an issue unrelated to the Jewish community. The hostage-taker is reported to have demanded the release of convicted Pakistani terrorist Aafia Siddiqui, who is currently incarcerated at Carswell Air Force base near Fort Worth, a city in northern Texas.
The Congregation Beth Israel Synagogue was catapulted into the limelight as members of the world's Jewish community, which boasts 15 million Jews, kept a close eye on the unfolding incident.
"The entire Jewish world understands and knows about this incident. I've had many calls from Israel. And we are here to support the community in any way we can."
The untoward event in the synagogue interrupted services inside.
Knowing that the captor was in the driver's seat, law enforcement agencies did their best to connect the dots as they tried not to irk the hostage-taker, which could jeopardise the safety of the hostages.
BRAD GARRETT, Former FBI agent: The absolute key in hostage negotiation is gathering information: How much information can you gather, either through the hostage-taker or through other means; How many people are in there? Is there anybody that's hurt? And what is his (the captor's) state of mind?
Israel's largest Muslim advocacy group condemned the attack as an execrable anti-Jewish act which can never be legitimised.
President Joe Biden issued a statement, thanking law enforcement agencies for their swift response. Biden added the U.S. stands against those disdaining Jews and advocating anti-Semitism.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said he was closely monitoring the developments and the fallout of the situation.
Siddiqui, the aforementioned prisoner whose release was repeatedly demanded by the captor, was sentenced to 86 years in prison on charges she assaulted and shot at U.S. Army officers after being detained in Afghanistan two years earlier. Pakistani political leaders and supporters of Siddiqui's say the punishment is by no means condign, saying she literally fell prey to the American criminal justice system.
As authorities are stopping at nothing to probe into the incident, members of the Jewish community hammered home the message: Jews should not be victimised all because of their religion.
Erring on the side of caution, authorities in New York City have increased their presence at key Jewish institutions following the incident in northern Texas.
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