Akram was on MI5 watch list, his two sons released in UK
LONDON: Malik Faisal Akram, from Blackburn in Lancashire, was the subject of an investigation in late 2020 but by the time he flew to the US he was assessed to be no longer a risk. He was investigated by MI5.
According to a BBC report, he had been on the British security service’s watchlist as a “subject of interest” in 2020 and was investigated in the second half of that year.
But by 2021 Akram, who had a criminal record in the UK, had moved from the active list to the former subject of interest list and was no longer considered a threat.
Both Greater Manchester Police and the Metropolitan Police have said they are in contact with the US authorities and Counter Terrorism Policing North West is leading the investigation in the UK.
Akram is thought to have arrived in the US via New York’s JFK International Airport two weeks ago, according to police sources, and he is believed to have bought weapons used in the incident “on the street” after his arrival.
While he had been considered a subject of interest (SOI) in 2020 he had been downgraded by the time he travelled to the US. MI5 investigates around 3,000 SOIs and has about 600 live investigations at any one time.
But there are also around 40,000 “closed” SOIs – those who have been looked into previously – and the security service only investigates SOIs when it believes the individual may pose a threat.
During the standoff Akram was heard demanding the release of Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist who is serving an 86-year prison sentence in nearby Fort Worth, Texas, over attempts to kill US soldiers in Afghanistan. Dr. Afia Siddiqui has distanced herself from his actions, issuing a statement through a lawyer.
The two teenagers arrested in England as part of the investigation into a hostage-taking at a synagogue in Texas have been released without charge, police say. They were arrested in south Manchester on Sunday evening. They are not facing charges, Greater Manchester Police said in a statement Tuesday afternoon. NBC News reported the teens were the sons of hostage-taker Malik Faisal Akram.
British citizen Malik Faisal Akram, 44, was shot dead after a standoff with police on Saturday. The siege at the synagogue in Colleyville near Dallas ended after 10 hours, with all four hostages unharmed.
Greater Manchester Police said officers from Counter Terrorism Policing North West had been “in constant contact with US authorities” to help with their investigation.
An address in north Manchester has been searched as part of their enquiries, the police force said.
It has emerged that Malik Faisal Akram, from Blackburn, Lancashire, was investigated by MI5 but by the time he flew to the US two weeks ago, he was assessed as no longer being a risk.
He had been on the British security service’s watchlist as a “subject of interest” (SOI) in 2020 and was investigated in the second half of that year. But by 2021 Akram, who had a criminal record in the UK, had moved from the active list to the “former subject of interest” list and was no longer considered a threat.
On Tuesday, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters Akram had been checked “multiple times” against US government databases, which did not contain any “derogatory information” about him at the time he entered the country.
Akram is believed to have arrived via New York’s JFK International Airport two weeks ago, according to police sources, and he is thought to have bought weapons “on the street” after arrival.
Rabbi Charlie Cytron-White told BBC partner CBS the group had been praying when he heard a click that turned out to be the hostage-taker’s gun. Rabbi Cytron-White said he and two other hostages were able to get out “without a shot being fired” after he threw a chair at the hostage-taker.
The siege began at around 11:00 local time (16:00 GMT) on Saturday, and police were then called to the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue. Akram gained initial access to the synagogue during the service by claiming to be a homeless man, according to a police source quoted by CBS.
During the standoff Akram was heard on a live stream demanding the release of Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist who is serving an 86-year prison sentence in nearby Fort Worth, Texas, over attempts to kill US soldiers in Afghanistan.
Siddiqui has distanced herself from his actions, issuing a statement through a lawyer.
Home Secretary Priti Patel said she had offered “the full support” of the UK police and security services to her US counterpart, Alejandro Mayorkas, when they spoke on Monday. She told MPs there were a range of measures being undertaken in the UK in response, “including protective security for the Jewish community”.
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has described the incident as an “act of terrorism and anti-Semitism”, a view echoed by the Muslim Council of Britain, which called it a hate crime and expressed its solidarity with the Jewish community.
Temporary Assistant Chief Constable Dominic Scally, of Counter Terrorism Policing North West, said: “CTP North West is continuing to assist with the investigation which is being led by US authorities. “Overnight, constructive meetings with colleagues from the United States have taken place.”
According to US police sources, Akram arrived in the country via New York’s JFK International Airport two weeks ago and he is believed to have bought a handgun used in the incident after his arrival.
Akram’s brother Gulbar confirmed his death in a statement carried on the Blackburn Muslim Community’s Facebook page. He apologised to the victims and said his brother had been suffering from mental health issues.
Friends of Akram in Blackburn said his mental health had been getting worse and expressed surprise that he had been able to travel to the US. Tariq Hussain, who knew Akram and his family, said his death by shooting “shouldn’t have happened”. “There’s questions that are not being answered,” he added.
The Metropolitan Police earlier confirmed counter-terrorism officers were in contact with US authorities and the FBI. The FBI was expected to arrive in the UK today to continue its investigation, Akram’s family said, while there may also be investigations in Pakistan – where it is understood Akram had been recently.
Final moments of relative
According an Asian Image report, a relative of the Blackburn hostage taker who was killed in Colleyville, Texas, has told of the ‘final moments’ he tried to persuade his brother to ‘give up’ and also the pain and suffering the family felt for the victims.
One hostage was released during the stand-off and three others got out which led to the FBI Swat team entering the building.
The family have now released a new statement and his brother Gulbar spoke of the harrowing final moments when he pleaded with his brother to ‘come home’.
There were also calls for a full transparent investigation into how Akram, a father of six managed to board a flight, spend weeks in the US, then buy a simcard and a gun.
The family said in a statement: “We are deeply saddened of the events of the past few days. We don’t want to make this about us. We think about what the victims went through. There were people who were fearful for their lives.
“We feel a great deal of pain for those who went through this. We hope nothing like this happens again the future. As a family it has been traumatic and devastating. So soon after our brother, 42, passed away barely four months ago. For us to see our mother crying and my father visiting the grave each day. They are crushed.
“Our brother has gone but the victims didn’t choose to be in this situation and we can only feel for them. We were not aware that he had left the country. It had come as a complete shock to us.”
Phone call from brother
Gulbar said the first time he heard anything was wrong was when he received a phone call on Saturday evening. He said: “I heard my nephew say, ‘My dad wants to talk to you one last time’ and ‘He’s in a shoot-out with coppers in America’.
“I quickly realised something had gone wrong. I asked him what are you doing? He said ‘I am in America and I am in synagogue. I have four beautiful Jewish people with me’. I began to record the conversation as I was mindful this could be his last time I could hear him.”
Gulbar said he was told by his brother he would release the hostages but he wanted the authorities to bring Afia Siddique, a prisoner in a US jail, out.
In the traumatic conversation Gulbar can be heard talking to his brother urging him to think of his family. Gulbar said: “My mind went blank. I was in shock. I realised that this may be the last time I would speak to him.
“I tried to convince him and think about his kids. I told him ‘pack it in’…’pack it in’. His mind was made up. At no point did he say he would harm these people. I knew he had no bomb as he switches between Punjabi and English when he is lying. He had a handgun.
“I told him, ‘You wanted to create awareness and you made your point’. As the call went along, I feared he would not get out of this alive. All I could do is plead with him. I was in tears at this point. He then said: ‘If I have ever done anything wrong to you please forgive me.’
“I just believe that they didn’t need to kill him. I heard the shots that finally killed him. I feel angry. They didn’t have to kill him. Once the hostages were out there is no reason to go in and kill him. “We cannot come to terms with it. It just feels unreal. It happens to other people. It is a traumatic event for us all.
“I do not feel he intended to hurt anyone. From what we know not one person needed medical treatment and he was there for 11 hours.”
Reports suggest that Akram was known to the British Secret Service and tonight further reports say he had booked a return ticket for February 2.
The FBI in Dallas had said there was nothing to suggest a wider terror plot.
When asked what may have led to him carrying out his actions Gulbar said he was concerned that he had never mentioned anything about Afia Siddique up until now. He was also not someone who was interested in politics and was said to have ‘never voted’.
Gulbar was concerned that he was able to board a plane without questions being asked. He said: “We find that confusing. In the conversation he feels very strongly about her injustice. I just believe he was not by himself. “There is no way he should be able to get on a plane without any stringent checks.
When he lands at JFK (airport in New York). He should have been questioned but he went straight through. “He picked up a SIM card and a gun. And went to stay at a homeless shelter for 14 days. He has gone from state to state. And then all the way to Texas, which is not a short journey. And then managed to infiltrate a synagogue. And told them he was a homeless person.
“My brother was not a planner and never has been. A guy from Blackburn gets on a plane and doesn’t get questioned. He is also anti-vax. How did he get a visa?
“If my brother never had mental health issues he would never have been involved in this. He should have been helped.
“He would never admit that he had mental health issues. It let him down over the years.”
Gulbar said the family wanted a full investigation into what happened, “We want to be part of the investigation and help as much as we can. We want nothing to be left out and nothing hidden from us.
“At the same time we want to get our brother back so we can do the burial. We strongly feel this could have been prevented if he had not been allowed into the country.”