Law enforcement in a small town in Texas, United States, was negotiating on Saturday with a man who appeared to have taken several people hostage in a synagogue, according to police and local media.
ABC News, citing a source on site, reported that the suspect was armed, holding four people hostage, including a rabbi, and claimed to have planted bombs at unknown locations.
Police in Colleyville, near Dallas, said late in the morning that an intervention force operation was underway at an address corresponding to the synagogue of Congregation Beth Israel.
" I will die "
The voice of an agitated man at times could be heard on the live broadcast of the religious service on Facebook, consulted by AFP before its interruption.
"I'm going to die," said the man, who repeatedly asked an unidentified caller for his sister to be on the phone.
The suspect, according to ABC News, claims to be the brother of Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani scientist sentenced in 2010 by a New York federal court to 86 years in prison for attempting to shoot US service members while in custody. Afghanistan.
He is calling for his release, the channel reported, citing an official familiar with the matter on condition of anonymity.
According to the same source, she is incarcerated at the Carswell military base, also not far from Dallas.
Evacuation of nearby residents
“The negotiators have contacted this person and are working toward a safe outcome,” Colleyville Police Sgt. Dara Nelson told
The Dallas Morning News
of the alleged hostage taker .
Colleyville police said they are evacuating nearby residents.
The incident was still ongoing as of 2:20 p.m. local time (2020 GMT), police said, asking the public to avoid the area.
The live broadcast, interrupted at 1:50 p.m. (7:50 p.m. GMT), showed only one lectern, with those inside the synagogue standing out of frame.
“There is something wrong with America,” the man said.
Politics on the alert
The White House is "closely monitoring" the situation, an official told ABC.
Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz wrote on Twitter to "watch the situation closely" and pray for the hostages and response forces.
Heidi and I are praying for those at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville and for the SWAT team and all other law enforcement on the scene responding.
My staff and I are closely monitoring the situation and are in close contact with local and national authorities.
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) January 15, 2022
Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said Israeli Consul in Houston Livia Link was on the way.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with our brothers and sisters held hostage in a synagogue in Texas,” he tweeted in Hebrew.
Asked by AFP, the local authorities did not immediately respond.
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