London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jul 23, 2025

Texas synagogue siege: Teens held in UK as Briton named as hostage-taker

Texas synagogue siege: Teens held in UK as Briton named as hostage-taker

Two teenagers have been arrested in England as part of the investigation into a hostage-taking incident at a synagogue in Texas on Saturday.

British citizen Malik Faisal Akram, 44, from Blackburn, was shot dead after a standoff with police in Colleyville.

Details of the ages and genders of the pair arrested in south Manchester on Sunday evening were not released.

Greater Manchester Police said it was liaising with local communities and continuing to assist in the US inquiry.

The force said the two teenagers were arrested "as part of the ongoing investigation into the attack" and were being held in custody for questioning.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said she had offered "the full support" of the UK police and security services to her US counterpart, Alejandro Mayorkas, when they spoke on Monday.

She told MPs there were a range of measures being undertaken in the UK in response, "including protective security for the Jewish community".

The four people held hostage at the synagogue in Colleyville near Dallas were eventually freed unharmed, after a 10-hour siege.

According to US police sources, Akram arrived in the country via New York's JFK International Airport two weeks ago and he is believed to have bought a handgun used in the incident after his arrival.

Akram's brother Gulbar confirmed his death in a statement carried on the Blackburn Muslim Community's Facebook page. He apologised to the victims and said his brother had been suffering from mental health issues.

Friends of Akram in Blackburn said his mental health had been getting worse and expressed surprise that he had been able to travel to the US.

Tariq Hussain, who knew Akram and his family, said his death by shooting "shouldn't have happened". "There's questions that are not being answered," he added.

The Metropolitan Police earlier confirmed counter-terrorism officers were in contact with US authorities and the FBI.

The FBI was expected to arrive in the UK today to continue its investigation, Akram's family said, while there may also be investigations in Pakistan - where it is understood Akram had been recently.

Malik Faisal Akram was from Blackburn, Lancashire


The siege began at around 11:00 local time (16:00 GMT) on Saturday, when police were called to the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue in the suburb of Dallas.

Neighbours told the BBC they heard a commotion as armed police sealed off the area, followed later by a loud bang which shook their house.

Suzanne Hughes said she was at home celebrating a birthday with her family when they saw police with guns drawn rushing towards the synagogue.

"I was expecting the synagogue to have exploded - it had not, but it was very unnerving. We heard gunfire when we got to the backyard.

"It's sad. This is America. You're supposed to be able to be safe everywhere you go," she added.

Police continued their investigation at the scene of hostage incident in Colleyville, Texas, on 16 January 2022


Akram gained initial access to the synagogue during the service by claiming to be a homeless man, according to a police source quoted by CBS.

One hostage was released after six hours, while the other three - including the synagogue's rabbi - escaped several hours later.

Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker told CBS the hostages were "terrified" and described how he threw a chair at the gunman as they made their escape "without even a shot being fired".

US President Joe Biden called the hostage-taking an "act of terror", and UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss described it as an "act of terrorism and anti-Semitism".

The hostage-taker was heard demanding the release of Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist jailed over attempts to kill US soldiers in Afghanistan, law enforcement officials told local media.

Officials added Akram also asked to speak to Siddiqui, who is in a prison in Forth Worth, Texas. Siddiqui has distanced herself from his actions, issuing a statement through a lawyer.

President Biden appeared to confirm the attacker had been seeking her release, saying the Texas attack was related to "someone who was arrested 15 years ago and has been in jail for 10 years".


When the FBI said this investigation would have "a global reach" they weren't exaggerating.

The FBI, who are leading it, have deployed their Joint Terrorism Taskforce with teams following up leads in the US, Britain and possibly also in Pakistan.

The immediate priority is to establish whether or not the hostage-taker had help from anyone else, either here in Britain or during the two weeks he was in the US prior to entering the synagogue.

Britain's Counter Terrorism Police and MI5 will be crucial in uncovering Malik Faisal Akram's so-called 'digital trail' - the clues left behind on his phone, computer or credit card purchases.

His demand for the release of the convicted Pakistani scientist Aafiya Siddiqui, being held in a US jail just 20 miles from the Texan synagogue, has given this a further international dimension.

She was sentenced to 86 years in prison in 2010 after being found with a kilo of sodium cyanide and plans to attack targets in New York, as well as trying to shoot US soldiers in Afghanistan.

She has denied any connection to the synagogue siege but she remains a popular cause among militant jihadists, and this case has renewed calls by some for her release.

President Biden said that while he did not have all the details, it was believed Akram had "got the weapons on the street", having "purchased them when he landed".

But he added there were "no bombs that we know of".

He also said Akram was thought to have spent his first night in a homeless shelter.

Police sources said US federal courts did not show he had any criminal history.

Akram's brother said he had liaised "with Faisal, the negotiators, FBI" during the siege but "there was nothing we could have said to him or done that would have convinced him to surrender".

In a statement on Facebook, which was later deleted, Gulbar added: "We would like to say that we as a family do not condone any of his actions and would like to sincerely apologise wholeheartedly to all the victims involved in the unfortunate incident.

"We would also like to add that any attack on any human being be it a Jew, Christian or Muslim etc is wrong and should always be condemned."

The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) has expressed solidarity with the Jewish community following the hostage-taking, describing it as "completely unacceptable".

Zara Mohammed, secretary general of the MCB, said: "The act is all the more reprehensible since it was instigated at a place of worship where Jews were targeted.

"This was, quite simply, is a hate crime and an act of anti-Semitism."


Watch a briefing by an FBI agent after the stand-off in Colleyville, Texas

Watch as Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker tells CBS Mornings about being held hostage - and how he escaped


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
×