One hostage was released early Saturday evening after being held inside Congregation Beth Israel, a synagogue in Colleyville, Texas.
Andy Jacobsohn / AFP via Getty Images
SWAT team members deploy near the Congregation Beth Israel Synagogue in Colleyville, Texas.
A man is holding hostages inside Congregation Beth Israel, a synagogue in Colleyville, Texas, outside the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
One hostage, an unidentified man who was uninjured, was released shortly after 5 p.m., according to a police statement. He did not need medical attention.
The hours-long standoff began Saturday morning and drew a massive police presence, including a SWAT team from Colleyville police, FBI negotiators, state public safety officers, and agents from the Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Bureau.
At least four people were being held hostage, potentially including the rabbi, law enforcement officials told AP. Police were called at 10:41 a.m. local time. Residents in the immediate area were evacuated, and no injuries were reported.
Brandon Bell / Getty Images
A law enforcement officer walks across an intersection near the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue on January 15, 2022 in Colleyville, Texas.
A livestream of the Sabbath service played on the synagogue’s Facebook page at 10 a.m. Saturday. Before the livestream stopped, Jessika Harkay, a reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, tweeted, a man interrupted and could be heard shouting, “What the fuck is wrong with America?” and “Don’t fucking cry on me. I have six beautiful kids. … There are hostages in the synagogue who are going to die.”
“Don’t cry on the fucking phone with me,” audio from the live stream says. “Don’t fucking cry on me. I have 6 beautiful kids … There are hostages in the synagogue who are going to die. … What are you crying for?”
Twitter: @JessikaHarkay
The man reportedly demanded the release of Aafia Siddiqui, a neuroscientist who was convicted of attempting to kill US soldiers and FBI agents and is currently serving an 86-year sentence at a nearby federal prison. According to US intelligence, she was suspected of being associated with al-Qaeda.
Despite reports that the man was asking for the release of his “sister,” the Daily Beast reported that a lawyer who previously represented Siddiqui’s biological brother said he is not the person in the synagogue.
The FBI office in Dallas did not return BuzzFeed News’ requests for comment.
Heidi and I are praying for those at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville and for the SWAT team and all other law enforcement on the scene responding.
My staff and I are closely monitoring the situation and are in close contact with local and national authorities.
Twitter: @tedcruz
Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson tweeted that police officers were monitoring the city’s synagogues. LAPD tweeted that it would be doing the same for LA’s synagogues.
Synagogues have been the site of multiple mass shootings in recent years, including the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh in 2017, Chabad of Poway synagogue near San Diego in 2019, and an attack in Halle, Germany, the same year.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated. Please follow @BuzzFeedNews.