Hostages Free, Suspect Dead After All-Day Standoff At Texas Synagogue

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After an all-day standoff, the hostages taken by a man inside a synagogue in Colleyville, Texas, have been freed safely.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott tweeted, "Prayers answered. All hostages are out alive and safe." The Colleyville Police Department also shared an update at 9:55 p.m. saying the "SWAT situation in Colleyville is resolved."

According to USA TODAY, authorities said the hostage-taker was shot. It's still unclear whether the suspect was shot by police. Sunday, the FBI revealed the identity of the hostage-taker as 44-year-old British citizen Malik Faisal Akram, according to CNN.

The situation unfolded during a Saturday morning service at Congregation Beth Israel. There were believed to be four hostages inside the synagogue — a rabbi and three others.

While authorities have not released the suspect's identity, ABC News has reported the suspect is the brother of convicted terrorist Aafia Siddiqui. The suspect is demanding to have his sister freed, who was sentenced to 86 years in prison in 2010 for the attempted murder and assault of U.S. officers in Afghanistan. Siddiqui is currently being held at a federal prison in Fort Worth, Texas.


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