“Prayers answered. All hostages out alive and safe.” A tweet from Texas Governor Greg Abbott brought a collective sigh of relief across the nation.

The hostage drama at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas, had ended after 10 hours with all four hostages safe, and their captor dead.

Prayers answered.

All hostages are out alive and safe.

— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) January 16, 2022

The terror incident began when the suspect — identified as 44-year-old Malik Faisal Akram  — entered Shabbat services Saturday morning at the synagogue northeast of Fort Worth. The service was being streamed live on Facebook. Among those held was the synagogue’s rabbi, Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker.

Akram could be heard demanding the release of Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist and Islamic terrorist serving 86 years in prison for attempting to murder U.S. military personnel. She’s currently being held at Federal Medical Center Carswell, at a prison in Fort Worth not far from the synagogue.

For hours, FBI negotiators were in communication with the suspect. Before the harrowing Facebook feed was cut off, he was heard exclaiming, “I’m going to die at the end of this, alright? Are you listening? I am going to die. OK? So don’t cry for me.”

He would be proven correct. Although Akram released one hostage unharmed around 5 o’clock, the drama dragged into the dark of night. Shortly before 9:30 p.m. central, a special FBI hostage rescue team breached the synagogue. Shots and explosions were heard, the hostages could be seen fleeing the synagogue.

Inside, the suspect was dead.

At a press conference after the incident ended, FBI Dallas Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew DeSarno refused to say what triggered the decision to go in rather than continue negotiations.

Who’s the Terrorist?

On Sunday, the suspect was identified as Malik Faisal Akram, a British national. During the live-stream of the drama, Akram could be heard saying he’d come “5,000 miles.” Congregation Beth Israel was chosen as his target, he said, because it was the closest synagogue to the airport.

The FBI and Associated Press tried hard to downplay the religious component to the incident. Even though a Muslim targeted a Jewish synagogue on the Sabbath, and held a rabbi and three Jews hostage in an effort to free an anti-Semitic Islamist terrorist, DeSarno said the suspect was “singularly focused on one issue” that was “not specifically related to the Jewish community.” 

DeSarno did say the investigation into Akram will have a “global reach.”  

On Sunday, Joe Biden described the incident as an “act of terror.”

Lady Al-Qaeda

During the stand-off, the suspect claimed to be the “brother” of Aafia Siddique. He is not the blood brother of Siddique, Mohammed Siddique, the Houston Chapter of CAIR reported.

Nicknamed “Lady Al-Qaeda,” Siddique is considered a political prisoner by Islamist groups like CAIR. Radical Islamists here and abroad believe her a hero.

In 2004, she was named as an Al-Qaeda “operative and facilitator.” Detained in 2008 in Afghanistan, she was found with notes on the construction of dirty bombs and locations in the U.S. for a mass casualty attack. While being interrogated, Siddique grabbed an officer’s M4 rifle and opened fire on those interrogating her.

CAIR continues hosting rallies demanding her release.

CAIR has hosted many rallies to free Aafia Siddiqui aka Lady Al-Qaeda, whose supposed brother is holding a synagogue hostage in Colleyville, TX pic.twitter.com/KGWyW4D3oN

— Chuck Ross (@ChuckRossDC) January 15, 2022

Rabbi Expresses His Gratitude

Congregation Beth Israel’s rabbi, Charlie Cytron-Walker, posted a message of gratitude on the synagogue’s Facebook page Sunday.

Note: Stream contributor and expert on Islamic terrorism Timothy Furnish will be offering his take on Saturday’s incident, particularly in light of Joe Biden’s “domestic terrorism” push against his political opponents.