On January 15, at least four people were taken hostage in a Texas synagogue. The suspect demanded the release of his "sister," Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani scientist sentenced to 86 years in prison in 2010 for "attempting to attack U.S. government officials and employees" in Afghanistan.
After an 11-hour stalemate, four hostages were rescued and the suspects were killed on the spot. On Jan. 16, the FBI issued a statement revealing the suspect's identity: Malik Faisal Akram, a 44-year-old British citizen. Matthew DeSarno, an FBI agent in charge of the case, said there was "no indication" that "others were involved in the hijacking."
The FBI issued a statement
Suspect Malik Faisal Akram from the Daily Mail
According to the British Sky News reported on the 16th, the British Foreign Office also confirmed that the suspect was British. Britain's foreign secretary, Liz Truss, tweeted that he wanted to "stand with the United States." ”
"My heart is with the Jewish community and with all those affected by this appalling act of Texas. We condemn such acts of terrorism and anti-Semitism. We stand with the United States in defending civil rights and freedoms against those who spread hatred. ”
According to the British "Guardian", people familiar with the matter said that the suspect was a resident of Blackburn in Lancashire, England. Located in the north-west of England, black city is a large industrial town with a local population of about 100,000, of which nearly 30% are of Indian and Pakistani descent.
On the evening of the 16th, according to the British anti-terrorism police, according to the latest investigation, the British police arrested two teenagers in the nearby Manchester, and the two are being interrogated.
Location in the city of Black
Shortly after confirming Akram as a suspect, social media in Blackburn's local Muslim community uploaded a post allegedly written by his brother Gulbar, but the authenticity could not yet be confirmed.
The post said Akram "suffers from mental problems" but the family "believes he will not harm the hostages." Akram's family sat in the investigation room all night, liaising with Akram, the FBI and negotiators.
Gulba, who identified himself as the suspect's brother, said Akram had released the remaining three hostages before "exchanging fire and being shot." "Nothing we said or did to him could persuade him to surrender." "We would also like to add that attacks on any human being, whether Jews, Christians or Muslims, are wrong and will always be condemned."
It is not known how Akram traveled to Texas. Sky News said he did not live in the United States permanently, but traveled to the United States from the United Kingdom on January 2. Gulba also questioned that Akram had a criminal record and did not know how he qualified to enter the United States.
The local Muslim community in Blackburn issued a statement saying it would "cooperate with the investigation."
Earlier, on the morning of January 15, a synagogue in Colliville, Texas, usa, was holding a religious ceremony and broadcast live online. Akram abducted the rabbi (the leader of the Synod of the Synod of the Synod who presided over religious ceremonies) and three congregations.
At about 6 p.m. on the 15th, a hostage was released without being injured. At around 9 p.m. on the 15th, after an 11-hour stalemate, the remaining three hostages were rescued and Akram died on the spot, but the FBI did not say the cause of death. According to the news footage, at that time, three hostages rushed out of the synagogue, followed by the suspects with guns. After seeing the armed men outside the door, the suspect quickly retreated to the church. Dozens of armed men then rushed into the church, only to hear a loud noise, followed by a rush of gunfire.
Live footage
On the 16th, US President Biden called this incident a "terrorist act" in an interview with reporters, and said that US Attorney General Garland had briefed him.
When asked by reporters about the details of the case, Biden responded that he did not have all the circumstances of the case, but "there is a claim that he bought weapons on the street." He purchased the weapons after landing. ”
Biden said: "[The results] turned out that there were clearly no bombs as we knew them. He spent his first night at the homeless shelter. I haven't mastered all the details yet, so I'm reluctant to go into more details. ”
The link between Akram and Pakistani scientist Aafia Siddiqui remains unclear. Akram demanded Affia's release and also asked to speak to her. CNN said sources revealed that during conversations with negotiators, Akram demanded that Afia be taken to the synagogue so they could die together.
Aafia Siddiqui is a Pakistani neuroscientist who graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 2010, she was sentenced to 86 years in prison for "attempted murder" and "attacks on U.S. government officials and employees in Afghanistan." He is currently being held in a federal prison in Texas, less than a kilometer from the city of Collieville, where the hijacking took place.
The Associated Press said Afia has ties to the extremist group Al Qaeda. But her family insisted in an interview with CNN that she was not a terrorist. Britain's Guardian reported that her family and supporters said Afia was framed and used as a scapegoat in the post-9/11 "war on terror." In 2018, Pakistan's Senate unanimously passed a resolution protesting against the United States and calling Afia "the daughter of the nation."
While the suspects referred to Afia as a "sister," the investigation revealed that Afia's brother, Mohammad Siddiqui, was not involved. After the hijacking, Afia's lawyer also responded that she was "absolutely not involved" in the hostage-taking incident.
This article is an exclusive manuscript of the Observer Network and may not be reproduced without authorization.