The kidnapping incident in the Texas synagogue continues: British police arrested two men today (Thursday) as part of an investigation into the incident in which a British citizen broke into the Beit Yisrael synagogue in Coville, Texas, and held the synagogue rabbi and three other people hostage for about 11 hours, until released by U.S. security forces. The kidnapper. “Two men were arrested this morning in Birmingham and Manchester,” the British counter-terrorism police said of their arrest.
The arrest comes after it was reported in the UK yesterday that Malik Faisal Akram, the kidnapper killed at the end of the incident, was known to the British intelligence agency (MI5) and previously investigated by it. Malik, a resident of Blackburn in the north of England with a criminal record, will be questioned by the agency late last year, but until his flight to the US it was decided that he posed no danger.
Meanwhile, NBC reported that two teens were arrested as part of an investigation into the Texas hostage-taking incident. The suspects are the sons of Malik. According to the report, Akram was in contact with his two sons during the incident. The two were arrested by police from the UK Anti-Terrorism Department as part of an investigation into the case. Also, according to sources involved in the investigation, at this stage there are no other suspects involved in the act.
The FBI reported that Malik arrived in the U.S. about two weeks ago and landed at New York’s JFK Airport and upon arriving in the country spent the first night in a homeless shelter. Malik’s brother, Golber Akram, shared on social media that Malik was suffering from mental health problems. I’m confirming my brother Faisal passed away in Texas. The family is completely devastated. We can not say much, because the FBI investigation is underway. We would like to apologize to all the victims and those involved in the unfortunate incident. ”
Tonight, a recording of a conversation between the kidnapper and his family was published in The Jewish Chronicle. Listen to the conversation: