An armed man who held four people hostage at a Texas synagogue for ten hours had spent time in area homeless shelters in the two weeks leading up to the attack and was dropped off at one by someone he appeared to know.
Malik Faisal Akram, a 44-year-old British national identified by authorities as the hostage-taker, was brought to the downtown Dallas shelter on Jan. 2 by a man who hugged and conversed with him, according to Wayne Walker, CEO, and pastor of OurCalling, which provides services to the homeless.
“He was dropped off by somebody that looked like he had a relationship with him,” said Walker, who said they’d turned photos and video over to the FBI.
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Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker told “CBS Mornings” on Saturday that he let Akram into Congregation Beth Israel because he appeared to be in need of shelter. Colleyville, a city of about 26,000 people located 30 miles (48 kilometers) northwest of Dallas, is home to the Texas Synagogue.
Cytron-Walker stated that the man was not threatening or suspicious at first, but that he later heard a gun click while praying.
When the rabbi and three other men were kidnapped, they were taking part in a livestreamed service. Shortly before 5 p.m., the first hostage was released. Around 9 p.m., Cytron-Walker and two others escaped after Cytron-Walker threw a chair at the gunman.
Cytron-Walker said, “The exit wasn’t too far away. I told them to go. I threw a chair at the gunman, and I headed for the door. And all three of us were able to get out without even a shot being fired.”
After the hostages escaped, Akram was assassinated. Authorities have refused to say who shot Akram, citing an ongoing investigation.
The end of the standoff was captured on video by Dallas TV station WFAA, which showed people running out of a Texas Synagogue door and then a man holding a gun opening the same door seconds later before turning around and closing it. Several shots were fired, followed by an explosion, a few moments later.
The FBI issued a statement on Sunday night, calling the incident “a terrorism-related matter in which the Jewish community was targeted,” and stating that the Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating.
The agency noted that Akram repeatedly mentioned a prisoner serving an 86-year sentence in the United States during negotiations. The statement came after the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Dallas field office said on Saturday that the hostage-taker was focused on an issue “not specifically related to the Jewish community.”
On a Facebook livestream of the services, Akram could be heard ranting about the release of Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist suspected of having ties to al-Qaida who was convicted of attempting to kill US Army officers in Afghanistan.
“The last hour or so of the standoff, he wasn’t getting what he wanted. It didn’t look good. It didn’t sound good. We were terrified,” Cytron-Walker told CBS Mornings.
At a service held Monday evening at a nearby Methodist church, Cytron-Walker said the amount of “well-wishes and kindness and compassion” has been overwhelming.
“Thank you for all of the compassion, from the bottom of my heart,” Cytron-Walker said.
“While very few of us are doing OK right now, we’ll get through this,” he said.
The investigation was extended to England, where police in Manchester announced late Sunday that two teenagers were being held in connection with the standoff. Greater Manchester Police tweeted that counter-terrorism officers had arrested the pair, but did not specify whether they were charged.
President Joe Biden described the incident as a terrorist act. Biden told reporters in Philadelphia on Sunday that Akram allegedly bought a weapon on the streets.
According to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing, federal investigators believe Akram purchased the handgun used in the hostage-taking in a private sale.
According to a law enforcement official, Akram arrived in the United States about two weeks ago at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.
According to a US official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the information was not intended to be made public, Akram arrived in the US on a tourist visa from the United Kingdom. The Metropolitan Police in London said in a statement that its counter-terrorism officers were in contact with US authorities about the incident.
Priti Patel, the UK Home Secretary, told the House of Commons on Monday that she had spoken with her US counterpart, Alejandro Mayorkas, and offered “the full support” of British police and security services in the investigation.
