LOCAL NEWS
British authorities arrest 2 teens in connection to North Texas synagogue hostage situation, officials say
Details surrounding the two arrests were not immediately released as the investigation into the situation at a Colleyville synagogue continues.
Author: Alex Cruz, Malini Basu (WFAA)
Published: 10:39 PM CST January 16, 2022
Updated: 10:39 PM CST January 16, 2022
COLLEYVILLE, Texas — As the investigation into the hostage situation at a Colleyville synagogue continues, there have been two arrests in connection to the incident that garnered international attention.
In a statement just before 5:30 p.m. CT on Sunday, the Greater Manchester Police Department said the Counter Terrorism Policing North West group arrested two teenagers in connection to the North Texas incident.
The department said the two teenagers are in custody and are being questioned. Further details such as their possible connection have not been released.
"CTP North West and CTP International operations continues to assist the investigation being led by the US authorities, and police forces in the region are liaising with local communities to put in place any measures to provide further reassurance," the department said in a statement.
On Sunday, the FBI's field office in Dallas identified the suspect in the incident as Malik Faisal Akram, a 44-year-old British citizen. Further information on Akram was not released by the FBI.
During a Saturday evening news conference, Matthew DeSarno of FBI Dallas said that it appeared the incident was not targeted toward the Jewish community.
The hostage situation at Congregation Beth Israel, which lasted nearly 12 hours, ended shortly before 10 p.m. Saturday with all three of the remaining hostages making it out safe. A fourth hostage had been released hours before authorities said a rescue team "breached the synagogue."
RELATED: UNCUT VIDEO: Hostages escape building as FBI breaches Texas synagogue, ending nearly 12-hour standoff
While the standoff was going on, the FBI was working on finding out more information about the British national.
“Very quickly we realized, there is probably more to this than a British connection than we liked,” said Richard Hyde, Consulate General of the U.K., told WFAA Sunday.
“We were very much in the background, feeding, and helping to validate information, to reinforce what they thought was the situation. To give them as much clarity as possible,” he said.
U.K. officials gave the U.S. clarity about Akram, and his travels to and from the U.K.
Officials said Akram died at the scene, but it is still unclear how he died, as further information was not immediately released.
The rescue team, police said, was a special operations group from the FBI that flew into North Texas from Quantico, Virginia.
During a Saturday evening news conference, Colleyville police and FBI officials said around 200 law enforcement officers from neighboring police departments, the Texas Department of Public Safety and the FBI were involved in the situation.
Questions, such as the suspect's motive, remain as the investigation is still in the early stages. DeSarno said Saturday that the investigation would have "global reach."
Hey there! Looks like you're enjoying the discussion, but you're not signed up for an account.
When you create an account, we remember exactly what you've read, so you always come right back where you left off. You also get notifications, here and via email, whenever new posts are made. And you can like posts and share your thoughts. Sign Up
Hide
Looks like you're enjoying the discussion, but you're not signed up for an account.
Posting Permissions
Bookmarks