Suspect is dead and all hostages are safe after FBI raids Texas synagogue

An FBI hostage rescue team stormed a Texas synagogue on Saturday night, ending a nearly 11-hour standoff with a hostage-taker who claimed to have bombs and may have ties to al-Qaeda, CNN report. The suspect was shot dead.

Based on CNN, four people, including the congregation of rabbi, was taken hostage Saturday at Beth Israel Congregation in Colleyville, Texas. The suspect released one hostage around 5 p.m., and the other three were freed after the FBI raid, which began around 10 p.m.

According to FBI spokeswoman Katie Chaumont, police were called to the synagogue around 11 a.m. Related press report.

The services were live-streamed at the time, and the hostage-taker could hear chants of America and Islam. He also identified himself as a “bomb man” before the feed was cut.

The hostage-taker demands the release of Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist convicted in 2010 of attempting to kill American soldiers in Afghanistan and currently serving an 86-year sentence in a Texas prison.

Siddiqui’s attorney told CNN she was “completely unrelated” to the attack.

According to FBI Dallas Special Agent Matthew DeSarno, a suspect has been identified, but authorities are not yet ready to release his name. DeSarno also confirmed that the FBI’s offices in London and Tel Aviv are involved in the ongoing investigation.