Law enforcement officials who were not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation and who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity earlier said the hostage-taker demanded the release of Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist suspected of having ties to al-Qaida who is in a federal prison in Texas. It wasn’t clear why Akram chose the synagogue. But DeSarno said the agency’s investigation “will have global reach.” authorities about the incident.įBI Special Agent in Charge Matt DeSarno said the hostage-taker was specifically focused on an issue not directly connected to the Jewish community, and there was no immediate indication that the man was part of any broader plan. London’s Metropolitan Police said in a statement that its counter-terrorism police were liaising with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not immediately respond to questions Sunday about Akram’s immigration status and history.
“The attorney general is focused and making sure that we deal with these kinds of acts.”īiden said the suspect was able to purchase weapons on the street and may have only been in the country a few weeks. “Rest assured, we are focused,” Biden said during a visit to a food pantry in Philadelphia on Sunday morning. He said in a statement that without that instruction, “we would not have been prepared to act and flee when the situation presented itself.” Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker credited security training that his congregation has received over the years for helping him and the other hostages get through the situation.
Moments later, several rounds of gunfire could be heard, followed by the sound of an explosion.Ī rabbi who was among four people held hostage said Sunday that the man who held them captive became “increasingly belligerent and threatening” toward the end of the 10-hour standoff.
Video from Dallas TV station WFAA showed people running out a door of the synagogue, and then a man holding a gun opening the same door just seconds later before he turned around and closed it.