— Colleyville Police (@ColleyvillePD)
January 16, 2022
The local police department in Colleyville confirmed they conducted SWAT operations, with the FBI leading the hostage negotiations, managing to free one of the hostages before they stormed the synagogue.
Local journalists have said that the hostage-taker was heard to have a British accent, but this has yet to be confirmed by official sources. According to video circulating on social media, over 8,000 people were watching a livestream of the Saturday afternoon service. It is not known how many people were in attendance at the synagogue.
During the siege at the synagogue, the gunman was heard repeatedly demanding the release of Aafia Siddiqui, who is currently imprisoned in a nearby prison on terror charges.
Several prominent Jewish figures including Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said that they were monitoring events in Texas.
The governor of the state, Greg Abbott also tweeted that his "prayers were answered" after news broke that all the hostages had been freed safely.
In a press conference after the hostages were freed, the FBI said that they knew the man's identity but were choosing not to release it to the public. According to Matthew DeSarno, the FBI special agent who led the rescue operation, the captor was "singularly focused on one issue and it was not specifically related to the Jewish community.”
Special Agent Matthew Desarno outside the Beth Israel synagogue in Colleyville Texas (Getty Images)
Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker, one of the Beth Israel hostages, has posted on Facebook, saying he is "grateful to be alive".
Beth Israel describes itself as: "a welcoming Reform Jewish community that serves individuals and families in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area."
Charlie Cytron-Walker has been the rabbi at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, TX since 2006.
