According to a press release from the Colleyville Police Department, at approximately 10:41 a.m., the Colleyville police received a call to the 6100 block of Pleasant Run, which has been identified as the Congregation Beth Israel.
Officers on the scene evacuated the surrounding area and established a perimeter. Along with the Colleyville Police Department, FBI’s Dallas Field Office, The Texas Department of Public Safety, North Texas Regional SWAT Team, and Dallas Police are all on the scene and monitoring the situation.
Authorities say a man was in the synagogue with other people present. The Associated Press reported the suspect had taken four people, including the Synagogue’s Rabbi, as hostages. The suspect was heard yelling for the release of Aafia Siddiqui, a neuroscientist who is currently servicing an eighty-six-year federal prison sentence in Texas for attempting to kill US military personnel while in custody in Afghanistan.
Dallas Morning News reported a Shabbat service was scheduled at 10 a.m. on Saturday morning and a Facebook Livestream of the service was available until 2 p.m. The stream didn’t show any people on the screen, but there was a man that could be heard shouting loudly and angrily at times while demanding the release of Siddiqui.
White House Press Secretary, Jen Psaki, tweeted that President Biden has been brief on the hostage situation and that senior staff members of the national security team are currently in communication with federal law enforcement leadership.
Dallas Mayer Eric Johnson tweeted, “As a precaution, Dallas Police were being dispatched to patrol Dallas Synagogues and other sites. Police are working with the Jewish Federation and our local, state, and federal partners to monitor any concerns or threats based on the situation in Colleyville.”
At 6:15 p.m. Colleyville Police Department tweeted that a male hostage had been released shortly after 5:00 p.m. He wasn’t injured and didn’t seek medical attention, and was reunited with his family.
As of press time, no other injuries have been reported for the remaining people being held inside. FBI crisis negotiators are in communication with the suspect as the situation is ongoing. Dallas Express will update this story as more information becomes available.
