What we know: Colleyville’s Beth Israel hostages freed, hostage-taker dead
A man entered the Beth Israel synagogue in Colleyville, a suburb of 26,000 people about 17 miles northeast of Fort Worth, on Saturday morning during services. He took four people inside the synagogue hostage and claimed to have bombs in unknown locations; one, a man, was released around 5 p.m.
Around 9:15 p.m., Star-Telegram reporters at the scene heard a bang and what sounded like gunfire at the scene. Witnesses reported seeing increased police activity around the synagogue. At 9:30 p.m., Gov. Greg Abbott tweeted, “All hostages are out alive and safe.”
The hostage-taker is dead, Rep. Beth Van Duyne told the Star-Telegram.
The events began around 10:41 a.m. when someone called Colleyville police. At 11:31 a.m., police wrote on Twitter: “We are currently conducting SWAT operations around the 6100 block of Pleasant Run Rd. All residents in the immediate area are being evacuated. Please avoid the area.”
The FBI, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Texas Department of Public Safety were at the scene.
Here’s what we know about the situation.
Standoff captured on Facebook livestream
The services were being broadcast live on the synagogue’s Facebook page. Shabbat morning service began at 10 a.m. Saturday, according to the Reform Jewish congregation’s calendar.
Viewers were horrified to hear audio of the man, ranting at times with an angry voice. The video was frozen on a graphic of a prayer, so it wasn’t shown what was happening inside the synagogue. The man talked about religion and repeatedly mentioned someone he called his sister, whom he said he wanted released from prison. It sounded as if he was on the phone, perhaps with police negotiators. The man said a few times he didn’t want anyone hurt, and he has mentioned his children.
He also said repeatedly he believed he was going to die.
Before the livestream cut off, more than 8,000 people were watching it. Several people commented to offer prayers for everyone in the synagogue and the rabbi, Charlie Cytron-Walke.
Was anyone hurt?
Based on initial reports, none of the people in the synagogue were harmed.
Who is the hostage-taker?
Authorities have not confirmed the identity of the man. A source told ABC News that the man claimed his “sister” is Aafia Siddiqui, a known terrorist who is incarcerated at Federal Medical Center Carswell, a women’s prison in Fort Worth. Siddiqui is a Pakistani woman who is imprisoned on charges related to the attempted murder and assault of United States officers and employees in Afghanistan in 2008.
It’s unclear if the man is biologically related to Siddiqui. People who have taken up her cause have referred to her as their sister.
Law enforcement had visuals on the hostage taker and were both comparing it with photos of Siddiqui’s brother and using it against their own databases, according to a source familiar with the investigation.
Who is Aafia Siddiqui?
U.S. authorities say Siddiqui is a dangerous terrorist with ties to the ringleader of 9/11. Counter-terrorism groups have dubbed her “Lady al-Qaeda,” and U.S. officials once described her as “the most wanted woman in the world.” The U.S. government has refused to trade her for American hostages multiple times, including for journalist James Foley prior to his execution by ISIS.
Who is the rabbi at Congregation Beth Israel?
Charlie Cytron-Walker has been the rabbi at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville since 2006, according to its website. He is the congregation’s first full-time rabbi.
Cytron-Walker is originally from Lansing, Michigan, and graduated from the University of Michigan in 1998. “Among other college experiences, he spent 48 hours on the streets as someone who was homeless and danced for over 24 hours as a part of a Dance Marathon,” his biography says on the website.
After graduating, he worked at Focus: HOPE, a civil and human rights organization in Detroit, Michigan, and then became the assistant director of the Amherst Survival Center, which housed a food pantry, free store and soup kitchen in North Amherst, Massachusetts.
Cytron-Walker attended Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion at its Jerusalem and Cincinnati campuses, receiving his rabbinical ordination in 2006 and M.A. in Hebrew Letters in 2005.
As a student, he served congregations in Ishpeming, Michigan; Fort Walton Beach, Florida, and Cincinnati, Ohio.
“Since Rabbi Charlie arrived at CBI he has worked to bring a sense of spirituality, compassion, and learning into the lives of our community. He loves finding a connection with people of every age and strives to carry forward the CBI tradition of welcoming all who enter into our congregation, from interfaith families to LGBT individuals and families to those seeking to find a spiritual home in Judaism, along with all others,” his biography says.
He and his wife have two daughters.
