A group of four people, including the rabbi, were taken hostage at about 10:41 a.m. on Saturday Jan. 15, 2022 at Congregation Beth Israel, a Reform synagogue in the city of Colleyville, about 30 miles northwest of Dallas.
The hostages were being held by 44-year-old gunman, Malik Faisal Akram, who was demanding the release of a federal prisoner being held in North Texas who was convicted in 2010 for attempted murder in a terrorism-related case.
One of the hostages was released after 5 p.m. and FBI crisis negotiators continued to communicate with Akram into Saturday night. Around 9 p.m. the FBI’s hostage rescue team breached the synagogue and rescued the hostages, Colleyville Police Chief Michael C. Miller said.
Britain’s Commonwealth and Development Office said in a statement Sunday, “We are aware of the death of a British man in Texas and are in contact with the local authorities.” They did not say whether they were referring to the suspect. The hostages, all of whom were adults, were not physically harmed and did not require medical attention.
Matthew DeSarno, FBI Dallas special agent in charge, said the hostage-taker was thought to have been “singularly focused on the issue and it was not specifically related to the Jewish community.” He did not provide additional details, but said no additional information indicated an ongoing threat and that an investigation with “global reach” will be conducted.