UK authorities say they arrested 2 teens in connection with Texas synagogue hostage incident

Advertisement
UK authorities say they arrested 2 teens in connection with Texas synagogue hostage incident
A Texas state trooper blocks traffic on a road leading to a Colleyville, Texas, synagogue where a man apparently took hostages, Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022.Associated Press/Jake Bleiberg
  • UK police said two teens were arrested in connection with the Texas synagogue hostage incident.
  • A man took four people hostage at the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue in Colleyville, Texas.
Advertisement

Police in the UK said they made two arrests in connection with Saturday's synagogue hostage incident in Texas.

The Greater Manchester Police announced on Sunday that officers from Counter Terror Policing North West arrested two teens in South Manchester.

"CTP North West and CTP International operations continues to assist the investigation being led by the US authorities, and police forces in the region are liaising with local communities to put in place any measures to provide further reassurance," the agency said.

No further information was available.

A man who the FBI identified as 44-year-old British national, Malik Faisal Akram took four people hostage at the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue in Colleyville, Texas.

Advertisement

In a press statement, President Joe Biden said Akram had only been in the US for a few weeks and had spent his first night in a homeless shelter. Biden said Akram had purchased a gun "on the street," after he arrived in the country.

An exact motive is not yet known but Akram reportedly made demands that convicted terrorist Aafia Siddiqui, dubbed "Lady Al-Qaeda" be released from the Carswell Air Force Base in Texas.

Siddiqui is serving an 86-year sentence after being convicted for attempting to kill a US soldier in 2010.

{{}}