0
31

FBI shot dead Londoner who demanded release of Afia

LONDON: The man who held four people hostages at a synagogue in the US state of Texas before being shot dead by the FBI was 44-year-old British citizen Malik Faisal Akram, demanding the release of a jailed Pakistani neuroscientist Dr. Afia Siddiqui who is suspected of having ties to the al-Qaeda terrorist group.

Dr. Afia Siddiqui-the day of her graduation

The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said it was “aware of the death of a British man in Texas and are in contact with the local authorities”.

Malik Faisal Akram, who was identified by the FBI, demanded the release of Dr Aafia Siddiqui, who was convicted of trying to kill US military officers while in custody in Afghanistan.

The hostage-taker said that he wanted to speak to Dr. Afia Siddiqui, who is being held at FMC Carswell in Fort Worth, Texas, following her conviction in 2010. She is currently serving an 86-year prison term in the US.

Witnesses claim that he referred to her as his sister, but John Floyd of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said Siddiqui’s brother was not involved. “This assailant has nothing to do with Dr Aafia, her family, or the global campaign to get justice for Dr Aafia,” he said.

Akram’s brother Gulbar issued a statement carried by the Blackburn Muslim Community to confirm the death, saying he had been shot dead. He said he had liaised “with Faisal, the negotiators, FBI etc” during the siege but “there was nothing we could have said to him or done that would have convinced him to surrender”.

“We would like to say that we as a family do not condone any of his actions and would like to sincerely apologise wholeheartedly to all the victims involved in the unfortunate incident,” Gulbar said.

“We would also like to add that any attack on any human being be it a Jew, Christian or Muslim etc is wrong and should always be condemned,” Gulbar said.

COLLEYVILLE (Texas): Law enforcement vehicles sit in front of the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue on Sunday.

According to media reports, one hostage at the Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville in Texas was released six hours into the 10-hour standoff, before an FBI SWAT team entered the building on Saturday night and the remaining hostages were freed unharmed.

FBI Special Agent in-charge Matt DeSarno said earlier there was no immediate indication that the man had connections to any broader plan but that the agency’s investigation “will have global reach”.

US President Joe Biden told reporters on Sunday authorities “just don’t have enough facts” to speculate why the man targeted the Texas synagogue, calling the standoff “an act of terror.”

“I don’t– we don’t have I don’t think there is sufficient information to know about why he targeted that synagogue, why he insisted on the release of someone who’s been in prison for over 10 years, why he was engaged, why he was using anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli comments,” Biden said.

UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss took to Twitter to condemn the “appalling act of terrorism and antisemitism in Texas”. “We stand with US in defending the rights and freedoms of our citizens against those who spread hate.”

Details furnished by FBI

The US Federal Bureau of Inves­tigation (FBI) on Sunday identified the Texas synagogue hostage-taker as a 44-year-old British citizen, Malik Faisal Akram, adding that apparently he was acting alone.

The crisis at the Beth Israel synagogue in Colleyville, Texas, ended on Saturday night when FBI agents raided the building, rescued all four hostages and killed the captor.

Law enforcement team stages near Congregation Beth Israel while conducting SWAT operations in Colleyville, Texas on Jan 15.

“Special Agent in-charge Mathew DeSarno of the FBI Field Office, Dallas, confirmed the identity of the Colleyville, Texas, hostage-taker as British citizen Malik Faisal Akram, 44,” said a brief statement issued by the Colleyville police.

In London, the slain gunman’s family issued a statement, saying: “We are absolutely devastated as a family” but “we can’t say much now as there is an ongoing FBI investigation”.

Malik’s brother Gulbar, who signed the statement, said that “we, as a family, do not condone any of his actions and would like to sincerely apologise wholeheartedly to all the victims involved in the unfortunate incident”.

The Colleyville police said the FBI’s Evidence Response Team will continue processing evidence at the synagogue but “at this time, there is no indication that other individuals are involved”.

The police said the FBI’s North Texas Joint Terrorism Task Force, which included member agencies from across the region, would continue to follow investigative leads and the FBI shooting incident review team would “conduct a thorough, factual and objective investigation of the events”.

In an earlier statement, the FBI had said that all four hostages were “unharmed, and the hostage-taking is not part of an ongoing threat”. The hostages included the synagogue’s rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker.

Dr. Afia Siddiqui reportedly in present condition but not confirmed

“Prayers answered. All hostages are out alive and safe,” Texas Governor Greg Abbott tweeted about 20 minutes after a large bang and gunfire were heard from the direction of the synagogue.

At 9pm, the local police informed Colleyville citizens that the FBI bomb techs were going to “dispose some ordinances on the scene” at Beth Israel. “There may be some loud noises in the next few minutes. There is no need for concern,” the statement added. At 9:55pm, the police issued another statement, saying that “the situation in Colleyville is resolved and all hostages are safe”.

Later at a news briefing, Special Agent DeSarno said the hostage-taker was “singularly focused on one issue and it was not specifically related to the Jewish community”.

The FBI said their “negotiators were in near-constant communication with the captor before they decided to breach the synagogue”.

Soon afterwards, the local police confirmed that the captor, who earlier identified himself as Muhammad Siddiqui, was dead. During his negotiations with the FBI, the gunman also claimed that he was Aafia Siddiqui’s brother and demanded her release.

Dr. Afia Siddiqui

Dr Siddiqui, a Pakistani-American scientist, was sentenced to 86 years in prison by a New York court in 2010 for the attempted murder of US officers in Afghanistan. However, the attorney who represents Dr Siddiqui said “she has absolutely no involvement with” the hostage-taking and the perpetrator was not Siddiqui’s brother.

“She does not want any violence perpetrated against any human being, especially in her name,” Marwa Elbially told CNN by phone. “It obviously has nothing to do with Dr Siddiqui or her family.”

“Whoever the assailant is, we want him to know that his actions are condemned by Dr Siddiqui and her family,” Elbially said. “We implore you to immediately release the hostages and turn yourself in.”

The episode ended more than 12 hours after the suspect entered the Congregation Beth Israel as the synagogue was livestreaming its Sabbath morning service on Facebook. The livestream captured part of the incident before it was removed.

Two law enforcement officials told CNN that investigators believed the perpetrator might have been motivated by a desire to get Dr Siddiqui released.

At the suspect’s request, the rabbi of the congregation called a well-known rabbi in New York City. The alleged invader, who had no connection with the rabbi, told the priest that Dr Siddiqui was framed, and he wanted her released.

US-based Muslim advocacy group CAIR, and Free Dr Aafia Movement also condemned the hostage-taking and said that her brother, who lives in Houston, Texas, had nothing to do with the incident.

John Floyd, who heads the Houston chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and a legal counsel for Dr Siddiqui’s brother said: “This anti-Semitic attack against a house of worship is unacceptable. We stand in solidarity with the Jewish community.”

They also said that they wanted to “make it very well known that the hostage-taker is NOT Dr Aafia Siddiqui’s brother, who is not even in the area where this horrible incident took place. Dr Aafia Siddiqui and her family strongly condemn this act and do not stand by the perpetrator”

They said that Dr Siddiqui’s family had always stood firm in advocating for the release of their sister from incarceration by legal and non-violent means only.

Before the media reported the suspect’s death, CAIR and the Dr Siddiqui family’s legal counsel urged him to “immediately release the hostages and turn yourself in”.

The White House also issued a statement by President Joe Biden who pledged to “stand against anti-Semitism and against the rise of extremism in this country”. “I am grateful to the tireless work of law enforcement at all levels who acted cooperatively and fearlessly to rescue the hostages,” he said.

“We are sending love and strength to the members of Congregation Beth Israel, Colleyville, and the Jewish community.”