Texas rabbi says he, 2 hostages escaped synagogue deadlock – Orange County Register

By JAKE BLEIBERG and ERIC TUCKER

COLLEYVILLE, Texas (AP) – The rabbi of the Texas synagogue where a gunman took hostages during live broadcasts said Monday that he threw a chair at his captor before escaping with two others after an hour’s stalemate, crediting previous security training to protect himself, and he was reunited to safety.

Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker told “CBS Mornings” that he let the gunman inside a Fort Worth suburban synagogue Saturday because he appeared to need shelter. He said the man didn’t make threats or suspicions at first. Then he heard gunfire while he was praying.

Another man held hostage, Jeffrey R. Cohen, described the ordeal on Facebook Monday.

“First of all, we escaped. Cohen, one of four people in the synagogue serving services that many other members of the Beth Israel Congregation are viewing online.

Cohen said the men worked to keep the gunman in contact. They talk to the gunman, he preaches to them. At a point when the situation took a turn for the worse, Cohen said the gunman asked them to get down on their knees. Cohen recalls leaning back in his chair and slowly moving his head and saying “no”. As the gunman moved to sit down, Cohen said Cytron-Walker yelled to run.

“The exit isn’t too far,” said Cytron-Walker. “I told them to go. I threw a chair at the gunman, and I headed for the door. And all three of us were able to get out without a shot.”

Authorities identified the hostage-taker as Malik Faisal Akram, 44, a British national, who was killed Saturday night after the last three hostages ran out of the Colleyville synagogue around 9. evening hours. The first hostage was released shortly after 5pm.

The FBI on Sunday night released a statement calling the ordeal “a terrorism-related issue in which the Jewish community is targeted” and said the Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating. check. The agency noted that Akram spoke several times during the negotiations about a prisoner serving an 86-year sentence in the US. The statement followed Saturday’s comment from the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Dallas field office that the hostage-taker was focused on an issue “Not specifically related to the Jewish community.”

Akram can be heard going live on Facebook about the services and demanding the release of Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist suspected of having ties to al-Qaida, who was found guilty of attempting to kill the terrorists. US military officer in Afghanistan.

“About the last hour of the stalemate, he didn’t get what he wanted. It doesn’t look good. It doesn’t sound good. We were absolutely terrified,” Cytron-Walker told “CBS Mornings.”

Video of the end of the stalemate from Dallas television station WFAA shows people running out the door of the synagogue, and then a man with a gun opening the same door seconds later before he turns. back and close it. Moments later, several gunshots and then an explosion rang out.

Authorities declined to say who shot Akram, saying it was still under investigation.

The investigation extends to Britain, where Manchester police announced late on Sunday that two teenagers were being held in connection with the standoff. Greater Manchester Police tweeted that counter-terrorism officers had made the arrest but did not say if the pair faced any charges.

President Joe Biden called the episode an act of terrorism. Speaking to reporters in Philadelphia on Sunday, Biden said Akram allegedly bought weapons on the street.

Federal investigators believe Akram purchased the handgun used in the hostage-taking in a private sale, according to a person familiar with the matter who declined to be named because the investigation is ongoing. Akram arrived in the US at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York about two weeks ago, a law enforcement official said.

Akram came to the US on a tourist visa from the UK, according to a US official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the information was not intended to be made public. London’s Metropolitan Police said in a statement that its counter-terrorism police were in contact with US authorities regarding the incident.

UK Home Secretary Priti Patel told the House of Commons on Monday that she had spoken to her US counterpart, Alejandro Mayorkas, and offered the “full support” of the police and security services in He is in the investigation.

Akram used his phone during the negotiations to communicate with non-law enforcement officials, according to a law enforcement official who was not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation. out by name and speak on condition of anonymity.

It is not clear why Akram chose the synagogue, although the prison where Siddiqui is serving his sentence is located in Fort Worth.

Akram, who is known as Faisal by his family, is from Blackburn, an industrial city in north-west England. His family says he has “suffered mental health issues.”

“We would also like to add that any attack against any human being, whether Jewish, Christian or Muslim, etc. is wrong and should always be condemned,” his brother said. his, Gulbar Akram, writes.

Community organizer Asif Mahmud, who has known the family for 30 years and attended the same mosque, said the family was devastated by what happened in Texas.

He “had mental health problems for a number of years,” Mahmud said. “The family obviously knew about it… but nobody thought he was capable of going and doing something like this.”

Mohammed Khan, local government council leader in Blackburn, said the community promotes peace across all faiths.

“Ours is a town where people from different backgrounds, cultures and beliefs are welcome, and it’s a place where people get along and support each other,” Khan said in a statement.

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Tucker reporting from Washington, DC Also contributing to this report are Associated Press writers Jamie Stengle of Dallas and Paul J. Weber and Acacia Coronado of Austin; Michael Balsamo in Washington; Colleen Long in Philadelphia; Elliot Spagat in San Diego; Jennifer McDermott of Providence, Rhode Island; Michael R. Sisak in New York; Holly Meyer of Nashville, Tenn.; Isaac Scharf in Jerusalem; and Danica Kirka in London.