Saturday, December 28

FBI reveals identity of man who took hostages at Texas synagogue

Jesús García

The man who took a rabbi and other people hostage this Saturday in a synagogue in the Dallas, Texas area, was identified as British citizen Malik Faisal Akram, of 44 years.

This was confirmed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to through a statement that quotes Matthew DeSarno, the special agent in charge of the Dallas field office.

“At this time, there are no indications that other people are involved”, He said.

The man died after an intense police operation in Colleyville, Texas.

This Sunday, President Joe Biden referred to the attack that he described as a terrorist act.

“Regarding Texas and the synagogue, I spoke this morning with the Attorney General (Merrick Garland) and got a summary. He said that there was overwhelming cooperation with local authorities and the FBI, and that they did a great job,” President Biden said. “This was an act of terror.”

The president insisted on police cooperation, in addition to establishing actions to prevent similar attacks on synagogues or other places of worship.

“I also told him (to the Prosecutor) that I wanted to make sure I got the word out that synagogues and other places of worship would not tolerate this,” he said. “We have the capacity to deal with (these) attacks.”

President Biden said he would contact Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker, who posted a message on Facebook after having been rescued.

“I am grateful and full of appreciation for all the vigils, prayers , love and support, all law enforcement and first responders who took care of us, for all the safety training that helped save us,” Cytron-Walker wrote.