AP Not Clear Why Armed Hostage-Taker (Killed by FBI SWAT) Targeted a Texas Synagogue – VIDEO

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TTAG Contributor
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By Jake Bleiberg, Eric Tucker and Michael Balsamo, AP

Four hostages are safe and their captor is dead after an hourslong standoff that began when the man took over services at a Texas synagogue where he could be heard ranting on a livestream and demanding the release of a Pakistani neuroscientist who was convicted of trying to kill U.S. Army officers in Afghanistan.

One hostage held Saturday at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville was released during the standoff; three others got out about 9 p.m. when an FBI SWAT team entered the building, authorities said. The hostage taker was killed and FBI Special Agent in Charge Matt DeSarno said a team would investigate “the shooting incident.”

Video from Dallas TV station WFAA shows people running out a door of the synagogue, and then a man holding a gun opening the same door just seconds later, before he turns around and closes the door. Moments later, several rounds of gunfire can be heard, followed by the sound of an explosion.

FBI and police spokeswomen declined to answer questions about who shot the man.

Texas Synagogue Standoff
Matthew J. DeSarno, Special Agent in Charge of the Dallas FBI Field Office, addresses reporters in a nearby parking lot after the conclusion of a SWAT operation at Congregation Beth Israel synagogue on Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022, in Colleyville, Texas. All four people taken hostage inside the synagogue during a morning service were safe Saturday night after an hours-long standoff, authorities said. (Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News via AP)

DeSarno said the hostage taker was specifically focused on an issue not directly connected to the Jewish community, and there was no immediate indication that the man was part of any broader plan. But DeSarno said the agency’s investigation “will have global reach.”

It wasn’t clear why the attacker chose the synagogue.

Law enforcement officials who were not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation and spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity earlier said that the hostage-taker demanded the release of Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist suspected of having ties to al-Qaida. He also said he wanted to be able to speak with her, according to the officials. Siddiqui is in federal prison in Texas.

DeSarno said Saturday night that the man had been identified “but we are not prepared to release his identity or confirm his identity at this time.”

A rabbi in New York City received a call from the rabbi believed to be held hostage in the synagogue to demand Siddiqui’s release, a law enforcement official said. The New York rabbi then called 911.

Police were first called to the synagogue around 11 a.m. and people were evacuated from the surrounding neighborhood soon after that, FBI Dallas spokeswoman Katie Chaumont said.

Saturday’s services were being livestreamed on the synagogue’s Facebook page for a time. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported that an angry man could be heard ranting and talking about religion at times during the livestream, which didn’t show what was happening inside the synagogue.

Shortly before 2 p.m., the man said, “You got to do something. I don’t want to see this guy dead.” Moments later, the feed cut out. A Meta company spokesperson later confirmed that Facebook removed the video.

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114 COMMENTS

  1. “An anonymous source inside law enforcement told the AP that the synagogue was likely chosen at random and not because islam is a cult of death that desires Jews be wiped from the earth”

    • Pulling a ‘quote’ like that out of your ass like that doesn’t do the POTG any good… 🙁

      • It was meant to be similar to the type of “quote” from anonymous unverifiable sources that they use constantly to push their narrative.
        ie: Trump called the troops “losers”.

      • “Jews” or “Synagogue” mentioned a dozen times, “Islam”, muslim, etc not mentioned at all either the attacker or the “Pakistani” terrorist, oops, I mean incarcerated neuroscientist. Could this release possibly be more racist/antisemitic? This jackwad is being paid with my tax dollars? FIRE him!

    • The FBI is woke. You’re obviously not. Who you think I’m going to believe, the FBI or our own lying eyes?

      FWIW, I’ve driven all over the Dallas/Fort Worth area. I can find a lot of stuff without thinking. I can find more places with a little thought. Yet more if I think hard. But I can’t tell you where to find a single Jewish synagogue. I guess maybe I could have driven past one at some time or another, but dang if I can remember doing so. Yet this guy from Fokistan, Nowhere, knew where to find a synagogue. Probably the closest one to the prison where his sister is. He searched that synagogue out online, before going off on his mission. But, that’s just my own lying eyes and critical thinking at work. We gotta believe the Woke Bureau of Investigation. They are the professionals.

      • On SHARYL ATTKISSON weekly broadcast this morning included a very good segment on the massive failures of the FBI to do their job. Including making the point that the JBT have ignore the ANITs/BLMers/favored groups activities while abusing the Constitution over the Jan 6 riot.

        The long running trope that it’s “the FBI management that’s broken/rank and file great” is pathetic drivel.

        • Yeah, I think that interpretation has outlived its usefulness, the entire FBI should be fired and left for dead for 10 years before any attempt at restarting. After that, employees may get a grip that going off the rails may result in the disappearance of your cushy government job, the serving line at Burger King awaits.

  3. Ranting about Islam, in a Jewish house of worship, while demanding to exchange hostages for a convicted Islamist terrorist…

    But it’s unknown why he did that…

    • The only rational question that needs to asked by their community now is; whether or not they will take proactive measures to protect their houses of worship from armed attack…

      • Sorry, Geoff, I suspect their “proactive measures” will be the same as always, demanding that “someone else” protect them from their enemies. Been going on for thousands of years, seems to be working well (?????), why change? Mofo should have been shot dead moments after entering, local LE called to clean up the mess once services were complete, praise the lord!

        • My synagogue pays for a uniformed police officer at the door.
          We also have a security team who conceal carry.
          We think the armed officer is a deterrent and have backup if he is attacked first.

    • I’m sitting here with a big bag of popcorn awaiting the FBI’s narrative and faux story line that the geniuses at the FBI are busy as bees and hurriedly inventing as I type this. Just remember, they think we’re stupid enough to believe them.

      • Country Boy,

        If they spent HALF the time on actual investigating WTF happened that they do on constructing a narrative to please their bosses, they might actually get something done.

        Probably not, though. After all, they are probably as incompetent at investigation as they are at narrative construction.

      • I think you’re going to keep sitting for a long time.

        This story died quickly. Aside from an occasional blurb on the Sunday morning talk programs you’re not going to hear squat about it going forward.

        Just like that other shooting in Virginia Beach. Control the story output/control the media/control what the sheeple will think.

        Enjoy your popcorn.

  4. The law enforcement source has obviously completed his islamophobia training and can no longer see the obvious.

    • MOre likely he’s wise eough (based upon his correct analisis of his training “points” that he can mouth off to the press, but he’d better NOT release his hame as he’ll catch it from his SOO peer yers. Wanted the pubic to know, but not his bosses.

  5. Motive in this case simply cannot & will not ever be resolved. Way, way, way too many variables.

    Dacian says it’s Trump’s fault, though. So there’s that.

  6. I guess he needed to wear a sign saying, “I am a Muslim terrorist, and I want to kill infidels”!! Naw, they still wouldn’t report it.

  7. Title really deserves a colon after “AP”, indicating they’re reporting the lack of clarity rather than it is the “AP” that is unclear.

  8. question:
    would the fbi swat have gone in guns blazing
    if it was an antifa type
    that had taken hostages at a church

    • One might also ask if the FBI wanted the guy to shut up….

      Open and shut case of another white supremacist going berserk.

      • Yeah, I question why the SWAT folk went in, if all the hostages were out. They could have sat around playing pinochle, or Pokemon, and starved the asshole into surrendering. It would have been much more satisfying to have waterboarded him for a few weeks, wringing all the information out of him, before putting him in that prison where he might visit his sister.

        • Multiple sources are now saying that he’s a British terrorist and he had a British accent and that the Federales are working with London Metropolitan Police on this.

          Obviously a white supremacist……

        • It makes it easier for them to tell us what his intentions were. This would be talked about for years if it was a white guy in a church full of black people. When it doesn’t fit the narrative, it gets swept under the rug pronto.

      • Wait! Are you suggesting the dumbass pissed on some Russian hookers before entering the synagogue?

  9. “ It wasn’t clear why the attacker chose the synagogue.”

    HA! Probably for the same reason Hilary (Ed) climbed Mt Everest: It was there.

    I suppose it would be politically correct to think an Islamist rad would take hostages in a mosque. I can hardly believe these intelligent thinkers are being paid…

    I hope the perp is on his 3rd or 4th virgin by now. Which brings up another interesting piece of historical info:

    Back around 600BC an Arab shepherd discovered the first condom utilizing the colon membrane of a goat. Somewhere around 1802, a colonizing British redcoat in nearly the same region improved said discovery by removing the membrane from the goat first.

  10. And the Feds will need months to analyze the hostage taker’s statements, such as “let my sister out of the klink” and “death to all Americans”…

  11. What are the chances? I don’t know about Texas, but in my neck of the bible belt, there’s a church on every corner, and none of them are synagogues. Weird! We probably shouldn’t read too much into it other than it totally has nothing to do with Muslims hating Jews. The FBI said so! The FBI wouldn’t lie would they?

    “COLLEYVILLE, Texas (AP) — FBI: Texas synagogue hostage taker’s demands were specifically focused on issue not connected to Jewish community.”

    https://apnews.com/article/ap-news-alert-religion-texas-77c8e6745f905930889d2460a00db004

    Also, that guy that accidentally took a wrong turn while fleeing pursuit, or something, and just happened to run over people in a parade (oops) is totally not a BLM connected white hating terrorist. No hate crimes. Nothing to see here. Move along. Oh yeah, white supremacists and political extremists (aka conservatives) pose the greatest threat to our country. The end.

    • I’m mostly with you there, but, to be absolutely honest, I’m not sure that Brooks guy was actually after “white” people. He had already tried to run his girl friend over, and she doesn’t appear to be very white. Sometimes, the perpetrator is just a sick SOB who doesn’t hate anyone in particular.

      • His social media was full of anti-white and anti-Jewish posts that literally talked about killing white people and said Hitler was right about the Jews. He was also a fervent BLM supporter as well as a supporter of the Nation of Islam group, The Five Percent Nation. Look them up. They’re literally black supremacists. That doesn’t mean that he’s incapable of harming a black person. He’s obviously an evil person.

        The bodies weren’t even cold yet, and LE was telling us that this was definitely NOT terrorism. The media wasn’t saying it was a hate crime. They were too busy inventing excuses for his behavior. Why wouldn’t they investigate it before telling us that? Because this didn’t fit the narrative they’ve been trying to shove down our throats. Now imagine the driver was a member of the Proud Boys, and the parade was mostly black people. How would the media and LE respond to that?

        “Sometimes, the perpetrator is just a sick SOB who doesn’t hate anyone in particular.” You’ve been suckered by the narrative. In other news, propaganda still works.

        • “Sometimes, the perpetrator is just a sick SOB who doesn’t hate anyone in particular.” Yep, he just hates everyone!

        • Mostly propaganda works on low information, lazy, or stupid people. Anyone reasonably well informed will just roll their eyes and mock the hell out of whatever stupid crap the wokies are pushing…much like we are seeing here.

      • Or, possibly, hates EVERYBODY in particular! No reason to be concerned, or even seek the truth, just kill the dumbass and go on about our business.

    • There are at least 45 synagogues in Texas:

      Synagogues in Texas
      Countries > Texas > 45 cities found or View all cities
      Abilene Amarillo Arlington
      Austin Bay City Baytown
      Beaumont Bellaire Brownsville
      Carrollton Cedar Park College Station
      Colleyville Corpus Christi Dallas
      El Paso Flower Mound Fort Worth
      Frisco Galveston Harker Heights
      Harlingen Houston Humble
      La Grange Laredo Longview
      Lubbock McAllen Midland
      Missouri City Odessa Plano
      Richardson San Angelo San Antonio
      Sherman South Padre Island Spring
      Texarkana The Woodlands Tyler
      Victoria Waco Wichita Falls

      • Unless you are being ironic (not your usual style), that was a dumbf*** take, even for you, MinorIQ. Do you have ANY IDEA how big the state of Texas is?? 45 whole synagogues in a state of 268,820 square miles.

        Yep, this Islamic radical terrorist just “happened” to come across one of 45 synagogues in a state that size. Karma, I guess.

        Even for you, that was stupid. Sounds more like something dacian the stupid would come up with.

        • Larry,

          dacian the stupid is giving lessons in “How to be Stupid”??

          Won’t that be a laugh riot!

          dacian the stupid couldn’t give lessons on how to tie your shoes.

      • Which of those are bright enough to have a security plan featuring armed members? Apparently not this one.

  12. American Jews are considered weak people. They have a reputation, that they created themselves. That is why they are attacked. And the same for Christians. They are also considered weak by their enemies. But the Jews of Israel, are not thought of as weak by their enemies.
    Most American Jews are not members of the JPFO. But they should be.

  13. The incident just occurred, it’s reasonable for news agencies to be circumspect regarding motive until all the facts are in.

    Here’s another example of the media not leaping to conclusions, but rather being measured in their reporting as the situation develops:

    “The police did not release any details about the gunman or a possible motive for the shooting, beyond raising the prospect of terrorism. Thomas Ahern, a spokesman for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said the killer was a 40-year-old white man.“

    In this instance, they didn’t say it was a white supremacist gun nut that was too stupid to realize that these Sikhs weren’t Muslims.

    • Your 2012 example isn’t a good example for your argument because they immediately raised “the prospect of terrorism.”

      • Don’t be such a snowflake, the FBI made it clear they were considering all possibilities:

        “But DeSarno said the agency’s investigation “will have global reach.”

        It appears to me the Christian persecution complex is showing, I’m sure this is all just part of the “War on Xmas”…

        • “Christian persecution complex”

          What are you even talking about? LE immediately brought up the possibility of terrorism in your example. You debunked your own claim. It has nothing to do with any persecution complex. No one was talking about Christianity or Christmas until you brought it up. The smeller’s the feller.

        • “the FBI made it clear they were considering all possibilities”
          Hooray, bet that makes everyone feel better!

        • “ It appears to me the Christian persecution complex is showing…”

          Hey- that’s NBD! The Christ warned us that was going to be one of the results of being a believer…

          Next?

      • So you’re upset because in one situation some LEO said they were “considering the prospect of terrorism” and in the other situation they said “the investigation will have a global reach” and you think there’s some disparity there worthy of outrage?

        And I am not the first to bring up religion in these comments, everyone else immediately decided that some sort of religion is behind this attack.

        • Miner, you aren’t this dense, so drop the act. I’m not upset about the decade old story you brought into the conversation. I pointed out that the argument you put forth was invalidated by your own reference. They immediately stated they were considering terrorism. Fast forward to the present, and when “particular” actors are involved, they say no such thing. As a matter of fact, as I pointed out, they immediately rule terrorism and racism out before they even have time to investigate it.

          As for the religious comment, you and I are having our own little conversation within a larger conversation. Go back to your first comment. You brought that up. No one else did. Let’s go beyond our little conversation. The story is about a Muslim in a synagogue. There isn’t a Christian involved in this story is there? The only noteworthy thing about Christianity, as Larry pointed out, is that Christian churches are everywhere in Texas, synagogues not so much. So drop the dumb act. What are the chances that he just happened to choose a place where Jews worship?

        • “ So you’re upset because in one situation some LEO said they were “considering the prospect of terrorism” and in the other situation they said “the investigation will have a global reach” and you think there’s some disparity there worthy of outrage?”

          ME? I’m not upset at all, in fact I’m rather pleased that the only stiff one is the terrorist (yep- I said it) and not those who were minding their own business in their place of worship.

          Seriously, the terrorist could have had the same effect if he’d just gone to the slammer and tried to free Lady Al Qaida all by himself. Same result, although likely fewer holes in his carcass. Now, if we’d just feed him to the hogs WE could make an impression.

        • No, MinorIQ, you drooling dolt, THE PERPETRATOR brought up religion (Islam) IN HIS RANTS both online and with the FBI negotiators. He DEMANDED the release of a convicted Islamist terrorist, cited Islam, and his online presence and history make it clear he was himself an Islamist radical.

          Read the effin’ news stories before you open your giant, gaping yap, ya pud.

    • “ The incident just occurred, it’s reasonable for news agencies to be circumspect regarding motive until all the facts are in.”

      OK, now I KNOW you’re being sarcastic here…

    • “The incident just occurred, it’s reasonable for news agencies to be circumspect regarding motive until all the facts are in.”

      Why, how very thoughtful of you, MinorIQ. Can we now start applying that same standard to ALL news stories, regardless of political slant????? Say, for example, the Jussie Smollett “hate crime”? Or, maybe, Kyle Rittenhouse?

      Or, perhaps you Leftist/fascist @$$holes could just leave us the f*** alone, and let us live out lives as we choose to. I am perfectly capable of making my own decision to get a shot, or not. To wear a mask, on not. And, if your fairy tales are true, and I get the shot(s) (how many are we up to, now??? For a “pandemic” that has over a 99.9% survival rate???), then why should I care whether anyone else does, or not??
      And since masks are basically useless for mass civilian use, why should I wear one just to make some stupid Karen (like you, perhaps?) feel “safe”??

      Because you idiot Leftist/fascists have one philosophy of life: “That which is not forbidden, must be mandated.” Eff straight off with that nonsense, MinorIQ. As an old TV show used to say, “You’re not the boss of me!”

      Take your mandates and bans and stick them where the sun don’t shine.

    • “reasonable for news agencies to be circumspect regarding motive until all the facts are in”

      Miner Stiltskin – what rock have you been living under for the last 50+yrs.

      • MinorIQ has been living under the “rock” of his alleged brain his entire life.

        I used to give MinorIQ SOME credit, even though he was as full of s*** as a Christmas goose, because he was at least (slightly) more rational and articulate than dacian the stupid, but I got over that. If those two dolts want to keep coming back here and spouting their male bovine excrement on the site, I no longer have any interest in treating either of them as anything other than the stupid, uneducated, Leftist/fascist @$$holes that they are.

        The cable is waiting for both of them.

        • As you all can see, Lamp the woman beater has a *lot* of time on his hands since the judge issued the order banning contact with his wife and kids.

        • Hi, nameless, brainless troll!! That was weak sauce, even for your pathetic “intellect”. Do better, next time . . . assuming you are capable of better (which you aren’t).

          Tell us the truth, are you a separate idiot, or are you dacian the stupid’s sock puppet?? Inguiring minds want to know!

    • They don’t care about wether or not the facts are in. They will tell people what they think everyone should hear.

  14. Also: So how long before we’re told that the FBI knew about this guy & had followed him for the last 6 months, before deciding this terrorist wasn’t a threat ??

  15. I’m amazed that the Federal Bureau of Incineration Hostage Roasting Team allowed the hostages to survive.

  17. There is absolutely no justifiable reason to treat the AP like they are somehow the all knowing wizards of smart that they seem to see themselves as. They have proven themselves unworthy of worship.

    • “There is absolutely no justifiable reason to treat the AP like they are a legitimate news source, or anything other than a Leftist propaganda outlet.”

      There, Prndll, fixed it for you.

  18. FBI probably shot the perp because they orchestrated the thing in the first place. DOJ and FBI can no longer be trusted because they are behaving like the Gestapo for political purposes. In recent years they have colluded to unseat a sitting President and probably promoted the Jan 6 event by encouraging people to invade the Capitol. Since the Government will not release the video footage or the FBI respond to questions on that topic, you can be assured this is another criminal act by our own Government. Just as bad as the murder of Ashli Babbitt by Michael Byrd who should be in jail, but of course black cop kills white lady, no big deal.

  19. The attacker didn’t like the color of the building. He was a “white supremacist” and figured everything should be white.

  21. “President Joe Biden said on Sunday that he’s been briefed on the incident by Attorney General Merrick Garland.

    “This was an act of terror,” Biden told reporters.

    Biden said the suspect had only been in the country for a couple of weeks, spending at least one night in a homeless shelter. He said the suspect was armed with a gun he allegedly purchased on the street, but investigators have found no evidence that he was in possession of explosives“

    • “ President Joe Biden said on Sunday that he’s been briefed on the incident by Attorney General Merrick Garland.”

      Seriously- do you think Biden even remembered any of this 3 minutes after the briefing??? I’m sure his handlers are giving the word “briefing” an entirely different meaning with Joey. As in: very brief.

    • Yeah, MinorIQ, old Senile Gropey Joe, the serial-child-molester (who was stupid BEFORE he became senile) is right on top of this . . . just like he’s on top of the border crisis, inflation, our supply chain mess (how’s old Pete doin’ with his heavy child-care duties??), Kazahkstan, China, North Korea, Iran, our unemployment rate, the deficit, and about a thousand other things I could list.

      Whatever you’re smokin’, it must be some GREAT s***!

  22. Biden admitted that background checks can’t stop all criminals:

    “The president said that he didn’t “have all of the facts” about how the terrorist obtained the arms but that the man “allegedly purchased it on the street.”

    “Guns are — the idea of background checks are critical but you can’t stop someone from buying something on the street,” he said.”

    • That’s why his handlers have him reading from a script 90% of the time. He accidentally told the truth and busted their narrative.

    • Obvious followup question (but not asked); then why is the “idea” of background checks critical? Because it sounds more like they’re a meaningless infringement.

  23. Joe Biden:
    “But let me be clear to anyone who intends to spread hate—we will stand against anti-Semitism and against the rise of extremism in this country.”

    But this Muslim terrorist who demanded the release of his sister, who is known as ‘Lady Al Qaeda,’ is a British man that just got to this country. So what is Joe talking about, exactly?

    • Joe don’t know much of anything in his late 70′ s stupor. Woe to those who think he does…

    • “So what is Joe talking about, exactly?”

      Dude, literally what EVERY sentient human being (which obviously excludes dacian the stupid) asks every time that doddering, drooling, child-groping idiot gets far enough away from his handlers to open is mouth.

  24. He was a muslim, but he also released all the hostages. Not something an Al Qaeda type terrorist would do. They just straight up murder.

    • So, let me get this straight . . . a Muslim extremist (check out his background) goes into a synagogue, kidnaps and holds hostage a rabbi and three members of his congregation and demands the release of a CONVICTED Islamist terrorist as a ransom for their release, end up releasing them (probably as a result of a rare success by the FBI hostage negotiators), and your conclusion is that he was . . . not a terrorist. Does your unicorn fart rainbow Skittles, too??? That s*** was so dumb, it could have come from dacian.

  25. According to the Feebs, Malik Faisal Akram only invaded the synagogue because he was dying for some matzoh ball soup, and where else can someone find good matzoh ball soup in Texas? Some BBQ joint? I don’t think so.

    There was nothing antisemitic about it, just a food craving gone bad. So stop hating on the islamists just because they want you all dead. Mass murderers are people too.

  26. 2 teenagers have been detained in England in connection with the Terrorist that attacked the synagogue in Texas. As of now not much info available.

  27. The hostages are alive, the perp is perforated and at room temp. Best possible outcome. Since the perp is deceased, we will never get a definitive answer to motive or reasoning behind the action. Still not clear on just who shot the perp, or if the hostages were released, was it necessary to eliminate him. Not in sympathy with the perp, but, curious if shooting was really justified, or is it to cover for someone/something? Just something a little off with the whole set up.

    • Islamist disturbed services at a synagogue, therefore shooting was “really justified”, beyond that, who cares?

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