Collieville (USA). People held hostage in a Jewish place of worship in Texas, America, were released on Saturday night after about 12 hours. Governor Greg Abbott gave this information. Abbott tweeted, “Prayers heard. All the hostages are alive and well.” Before Abbott’s tweet, gunshots were heard in the prayer area. A man has taken people hostage and is demanding the release of a Pakistani neuroscientist convicted of attempting to assassinate US military officers in Afghanistan, officials said.
Details of the rescue operation are yet to be given and it is not clear whether the hostage suspect is alive or killed. Two security officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said at least four hostages were initially believed to be in the place of worship. One of the officials said that the rabbis (Jewish religious leaders) of the place of worship are believed to be among the hostages. An official said the man claimed to be in possession of a weapon but the officials did not confirm it. The Collieville Police Department said one hostage was released without harm after 5 p.m. Saturday. The man is believed to have gone to his family and did not require medical care.
Officials are still trying to ascertain the motive for the attack. Officials said the hostage taker also ‘livestreamed’ the incident, in which the man can be heard demanding the release of a Pakistani neuroscientist suspected of having ties to al-Qaeda. and was convicted of attempting to kill US military officers in custody in Afghanistan. According to officials, the man also said that he wanted to talk to Afia. Afia Siddiqui is lodged in a federal prison in Texas.
A New York City rabbi called the police to report the incident, an official said. FBI Dallas spokeswoman Katie Chaumont said police first arrived at the place of worship around 11 a.m., and people were evacuated from surrounding areas soon after. Chaumont said no one was reported injured. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki tweeted Saturday evening that President Joe Biden has been informed and is receiving up-to-the-minute information from senior officials. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said he was closely monitoring the situation.
“We pray for the safety of the hostages and rescuers,” he wrote on Twitter. Many heard the hostage taker refer to Siddiqui as his “sister” during the livestream, but Faizan Syed, executive director of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) in Dallas Fort-Worth Texas, told The Associated Press. Told that Siddiqui’s brother Mohammad Siddiqui was not involved in this.
The country’s largest pro-Muslim group CAIR on Saturday condemned the attack. Edward Ahmed Mitchell, CAIR’s national deputy director, said in a statement: “This recent anti-Semitic attack on a place of worship is an unacceptable act of evil. We stand in solidarity with the Jewish community and we pray that security officials will be able to free the hostages swiftly and safely. No reason can be used as an excuse to justify this offence.”
Collieville is a city with a population of approximately 26,000 people, located approximately 23 kilometers northeast of Fort Worth. The prayer site is situated in a lush green area among large residential houses, surrounding which are several churches, a secondary and primary school, and farms. Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist with degrees from Brandeis University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was sentenced to 86 years in prison in 2010. He is accused of assaulting and shooting US military officers after being detained in Afghanistan two years ago.