Network TodayNetwork Today
    What's Hot

    Your Tuesday Briefing: Xi Meets Putin in Moscow

    March 20, 2023

    California sheriff torches Newsom for leaving prison system in ‘disarray,’ planning to let murderers walk free

    March 20, 2023

    Deadly Fungus Spread Rapidly During the Pandemic, C.D.C. Says

    March 20, 2023
    Facebook Twitter Instagram
    • About
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms
    • Contact
    Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Monday, March 20
    Network TodayNetwork Today
    • Home
    • News
    • Politics
    • Business
    • Energy
    • Technology
    • Health
    • Lifestyle
    • Sports
    Network TodayNetwork Today
    Home » As F.B.I. Breached Texas Synagogue, Hostages Were Dashing for Exit

    As F.B.I. Breached Texas Synagogue, Hostages Were Dashing for Exit

    January 22, 20225 Mins Read News
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr WhatsApp Email Reddit
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    COLLEYVILLE, Texas — Eleven hours into the standoff in a synagogue in suburban Fort Worth on Saturday evening, it was clear to the F.B.I. that the situation was devolving. The attacker, who had entered Congregation Beth Israel that morning and taken four hostages, was becoming more agitated and less communicative.

    “He was giving ultimatums and deadlines about killing hostages,” Matthew DeSarno, the bureau’s top agent in Dallas, said in an interview on Friday. “We took him at his word.”

    Mr. DeSarno decided to launch the F.B.I.’s elite Hostage Rescue Team, which had arrived from Quantico, Va. Inside the synagogue, Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker had come to a similar conclusion: It was time to take action.

    At around 9 p.m., almost simultaneously, and unaware of the other group’s plans, the hostages inside the sanctuary moved for an exit as the highly trained agents outside moved in elsewhere. As the congregants staged a daring escape, the agents shot and killed the attacker, Malik Faisal Akram, a British citizen.

    The details of the hostages’ dramatic recovery had been murky until Friday. Law enforcement initially characterized the event as a rescue. But two of the hostages described it as an escape.

    On Friday, Rabbi Cytron-Walker described looking for an opportunity to flee as night fell with three hostages remaining; one had been released around 5 p.m. “None of us could imagine one person going and leaving the others behind,” he said. When Mr. Akram had a cup of juice in one hand and seemed less prepared to respond to a quick motion, they got their chance. Rabbi Cytron-Walker threw a chair at Mr. Akram and the hostages ran for the door.

    The F.B.I. also provided a more detailed account of what happened outside the sanctuary in those final moments at a Friday news conference and in interviews with The New York Times.

    Paul Haertel, the assistant director of the F.B.I.’s Critical Incident Response Group, said the call to mobilize the hostage teams and other personnel went out quickly after law enforcement officials got word of the standoff at 10:40 a.m. The two rescue teams made their way to Richmond, Va., where they boarded one of the F.B.I.’s Boeing 757s. Roughly six hours later, the team and other personnel, including bomb technicians and medics, arrived in Colleyville.

    “We were starting to develop a picture of what was going on,” Mr. Haertel said.

    Mr. DeSarno, a veteran counterterrorism investigator, said he had never ordered a hostage rescue before. “The situation was quickly getting more dire,” he said, adding that it was “high risk and high reward.”

    Mr. DeSarno said the hostage teams breached the south and west sides of the temple as the hostages exited the northeast side. He said he had no idea the hostages had escaped when the teams entered the temple.

    The medical examiner said on Friday that Mr. Akram’s death had been ruled a homicide.

    Rabbi Cytron-Walker and Jeffrey Cohen, who is identified on the synagogue’s website as its vice president, have credited security training with their ability to maneuver the escape from inside. The rabbi told The Times that he had participated in least four trainings in recent years.

    The other two hostages have not been named publicly.

    Part of the attack at Congregation Beth Israel was livestreamed because the synagogue had been sharing its services online as a pandemic precaution. On that feed, Mr. Akram could be heard referring to Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist who is serving an 86-year prison sentence in nearby Fort Worth. Ms. Siddiqui was convicted in a federal court in 2010 for trying to kill American soldiers in Afghanistan and other “terroristic events.”

    Mr. DeSarno said during a news conference on Friday that it appeared Mr. Akram had targeted the synagogue because it was the closest one to the federal prison where Ms. Siddiqui is being held in Texas.

    Christopher A. Wray, the bureau’s director, said on Thursday that the F.B.I. was treating the attack as “an act of terrorism targeting the Jewish community.” Mr. DeSarno described it as “both a hate crime and an act of terrorism.”

    Rabbi Cytron-Walker has said Mr. Akram’s first demand was to speak with Angela Buchdahl, senior rabbi at Central Synagogue in New York. Mr. Akram believed “she was the most influential rabbi,” the rabbi said on Thursday in a webinar hosted by the Anti-Defamation League.

    Mr. DeSarno said the F.B.I. was still investigating how Mr. Akram managed to acquire the handgun used to hold the worshipers hostage. He said the gun appeared to be illegally obtained.

    The deployment to Texas was the one of several for members of the Hostage Rescue Team last week, including another high-risk operation in which a 31-year-old man named Michael Neuman was killed in Arkansas.

    Some synagogues across the country are using this weekend’s services to express solidarity against antisemitism. In New York, Mayor Eric Adams was scheduled to speak at Friday evening services at Central Synagogue, where Rabbi Buchdahl presides.

    And in Colleyville, Rabbi Cytron-Walker planned to conduct services for his congregation on Friday and Saturday. His wish for the Jewish community and beyond, he said, was “to have a Shabbat shalom, a sabbath of peace.”

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email

    Related Posts

    Your Tuesday Briefing: Xi Meets Putin in Moscow

    March 20, 2023

    Louisiana works out deal for family to keep pet nutria

    March 20, 2023

    Internet Blocked in Indian State as Security Forces Pursue Separatist

    March 20, 2023

    Biden admin’s Kirby ridicules Putin visit to Mariupol: ‘He has to know how badly he’s doing inside Ukraine’

    March 20, 2023

    French government and Macron’s retirement overhaul survive a no-confidence vote. Here’s the latest.

    March 20, 2023

    Texas man accused of buying gun for Mexican cartel member used in murders of kidnapped Americans: report

    March 20, 2023
    Trending

    Your Tuesday Briefing: Xi Meets Putin in Moscow

    March 20, 2023

    California sheriff torches Newsom for leaving prison system in ‘disarray,’ planning to let murderers walk free

    March 20, 2023

    Deadly Fungus Spread Rapidly During the Pandemic, C.D.C. Says

    March 20, 2023

    Louisiana works out deal for family to keep pet nutria

    March 20, 2023
    Latest News

    South Korea fires warning shots, scrambles aircraft after North Korean drones cross border

    December 26, 2022

    Could your breath enable your phone to identify you?

    June 23, 2022

    The Times hits its goal of 10 million subscriptions with the addition of The Athletic.

    February 2, 2022

    Passenger Lands Small Plane in Florida After Pilot Falls Ill

    May 11, 2022

    Dunk Was Chunky, but Still Deadly

    March 4, 2023

    Warnock team reacts to Georgia poll showing GOP ahead in Senate, governor elections: ‘This race will be close’

    September 20, 2022

    Network Today is one of the biggest English news portal, we provide the latest news from all around the world.

    We're social. Connect with us:

    Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest YouTube
    Recent

    Your Tuesday Briefing: Xi Meets Putin in Moscow

    March 20, 2023

    California sheriff torches Newsom for leaving prison system in ‘disarray,’ planning to let murderers walk free

    March 20, 2023

    Deadly Fungus Spread Rapidly During the Pandemic, C.D.C. Says

    March 20, 2023
    Featured

    Emmer fires back at White House accusation GOP trying to ‘defund’ military: ‘Peddling lies’

    January 10, 2023

    US has few good options in countering Opec oil cuts

    October 10, 2022

    Washington DC shooting leaves 1 dead, 6 people shot: police

    August 2, 2022
    Copyright ©️ All rights reserved | Network Today
    • About
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms
    • Contact

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.