Suspect dead and all hostages safe after FBI storms Texas synagogue
An FBI hostage rescue team stormed a Texas synagogue Saturday night, ending an almost 11-hour standoff with a hostage-taker who claimed to have a bomb and may have ties to al-Qaeda, CNN reports. The suspect was shot and killed.
According to CNN, four people, including the congregation's rabbi, were held hostage Saturday at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas. The suspect released one hostage around 5:00 p.m., and the other three were freed following the FBI raid, which started around 10:00 p.m.
According to FBI spokeswoman Katie Chaumont, police were called to the synagogue at around 11:00 a.m., The Associated Press reported.
Services were being livestreamed at the time, and the hostage-taker could be heard ranting about America and Islam. He also referred to himself as "the guy with the bomb" before the feed cut out.
The hostage-taker demanded the release of Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist convicted in 2010 of attempting to kill U.S. service members in Afghanistan and now serving an 86-year sentence in a Texas prison. Siddiqui's attorney told CNN "she has absolutely no involvement with" with the attack.
According to FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge Matthew DeSarno, the suspect has been identified, but authorities are not yet ready to reveal his name. DeSarno also confirmed that the FBI's offices in London and Tel Aviv are participating in the ongoing investigation.
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