#synagogue hostage standoff

[quotesfrommyreading]

At airports, stadiums, even schools, safety and security procedures are put in place to protect the essence of the institution itself: travel, recreation, education. We may not like the fortress aesthetic, but we’ve come to accept it.

But what if the essence of a place is that it is defenseless? What if its ability to welcome others, to be hospitable to strangers, is its identity? What if vulnerability is its unstated mission? That is the challenge I hadn’t considered. I tread carefully here speaking of a religion that I know only through marriage. I have strong feelings about Israel, not recently known for its peaceful stance toward its Arab residents. But in the U.S., for a Jewish congregation to become a fortress would seem too militaristic, too aggressive. To make a soft target harder would more likely change the target than deter the attacker.

In security, we view vulnerabilities as inherently bad. We solve the problem with layered defenses: more locks, more surveillance. Deprive strangers of access to your temple, I urged the committee members, and have congregants carry ID. They would have none of it. Access was a vulnerability embedded in the institution, and no security expert could change that—we do logistics, not souls.

The standoff in Colleyville ended with the attacker dead and the hostages unharmed. But all around the country, synagogues are no doubt convening their security committees, wondering what more they can do to defend their members without losing their essential vulnerability. A synagogue is not like an airport or a stadium. When it becomes a fortress, something immeasurable is lost.

  —  A Synagogue Shouldn’t Be a Fortress

[eagletek]

ADL tracked 3,697 cases of antisemitic harassment, vandalism and assault in 2022 : NPR

The Congregation Beth Israel synagogue in Colleyville, Texas was the site of an attack by British national Malik Faisal Akram, who was in a 10-hour hostage standoff with law enforcement. A new report by the Anti-Defamation League says antisemitic incidents in the U.S. rose 36% in 2022. Brandon Wade/AP hide caption toggle caption Brandon Wade/AP The Congregation Beth Israel synagogue in…

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1.19.22 Headlines

WORLD NEWS

Israel: Israeli police evict Palestinians from East Jerusalem home (BBC)

“Israeli police have evicted a Palestinian family and demolished their house in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah. Officers raided the Salhiya family home before dawn, arresting several people before a bulldozer moved in. There had been a two-day stand-off after the head of the family threatened to blow up his house rather than move. Israeli officials said the building was illegal - something the family denied - and the land was needed for a school.”

Russia: Says it will take nothing less but NATO expansion ban (AP)

“Russia maintained a tough posture amid the tensions over its troop buildup near Ukraine, with a top diplomat warning Wednesday that Moscow will accept nothing less but “watertight” U.S. guarantees precluding NATO’s expansion to Ukraine. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, who led the Russian delegation at the security talks with the U.S. in Geneva last week, reaffirmed that Moscow has no intentions of invading Ukraine as the West fears, but said that receiving Western security guarantees is the categoric imperative for Moscow.”

Brazil: Parents want their kids vaccinated against Covid; Bolsonaro has tried to stop it (CNN)

“Between March 2020 and November 2021, 308 children aged between 5 and 11 have died from Covid-19, according to data from the Ministry of Health. Pediatrician and infectious disease specialist Marcelo Otsuka told CNN that Covid has killed more children than meningitis and measles in the same period, only trailing behind deaths from road accidents. Now, as a nationwide Covid-19 vaccination campaign for children aged 5-11 is underway, it's providing relief to many Brazilian parents like Basto, who says that it will give her a "peace of mind."”

US NEWS

Covid: Biden administration to distribute 400m N95 masks to the public for free (CNN)

“The Biden administration will make 400 million N95 masks available to Americans for free starting next week, a White House official told CNN, the latest federal step aimed at reining in the US' Covid-19 surge. The masks -- which are coming from the Strategic National Stockpile -- will be made available at a number of local pharmacies and community health centers, the official said, adding that the program will be "fully up and running by early February."”

Airlines: Major airlines cancel, change flights to US over 5G dispute (AP)

“Major international airlines canceled flights heading to the U.S. or changed the planes they’re using Wednesday, the latest complication in a dispute over concerns that new 5G mobile phone service could interfere with aircraft technology. Carriers took widely different approaches to the brewing crisis affecting international travel, from Middle Eastern airline Emirates drastically reducing its U.S.-bound flights to Air France saying it would fly as normal.”

Antisemitism: Jewish leaders renew antisemitism fight after hostage case (AP)

“Although the FBI initially said the man who held four people hostage at a Texas synagogue was focused on an issue “not specifically related to the Jewish community,” the captor voiced beliefs that Jews controlled the world and had the power to arrange the release of a prisoner, survivors said after their escape. The gunman’s words were all too familiar to Jewish leaders and terror experts, who saw the attack on Congregation Beth Israel as yet another in the rising number of antisemitic hate crimes, a sign of the continued need of vigilance and interfaith solidarity.”

[attackfish]

The FBI and Texas Department of Public Safety are assisting a hostage situation at a synagogue in Texas, where authorities say the suspect may be motivated by the desire to free a Pakistani scientist who was convicted of attempting to kill US officers in Afghanistan.

A law enforcement official familiar with the investigation told CNN there were believed to be four hostages, including a rabbi, at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, just outside Fort Worth. Several hours into the standoff, Colleyville Police Sgt. Dara Nelson said one hostage had been released.

Two law enforcement officials told CNN that investigators believe the hostage taker may have been motivated by a desire to release Aafia Sidiqqui, who is serving an 86-year sentence at a facility in Texas. She was convicted in 2010 on seven charges, including attempted murder and armed assault on US officers in Afghanistan.

Not mentioned in the article, but relevant to why the hostage chose to target a synagogue, is that Sidiqqui alleged that the charges against her were a Jewish conspiracy, refused to work with the lawyers the Pakistani embassy hired for her because two of them were Jewish, and tried to demand that jurors take DNA tests to prove they didn't have a "Zionist" background. She also wrote a letter to President Obama in which she called the Jewish people back stabbers and blamed us for the Holocaust, and other acts of antisemitism throughout history. The hostage taker plainly agrees with her on this, and I suppose, decided to attack the people that he, and Sidiqqui (who we have no reason to believe is involved, except as a motivating factor) see as the puppet masters.

This is antisemitism all the way down, of course.

Shabbat Shalom, everyone. We can only hope this situation resolves without bloodshed, and that all of the hostages will soon be free to return to their loved ones unharmed.

[beardedmrbean]

More than four in ten Jews in the United States feel their status in America is less secure than it was a year earlier, according to a new survey by the American Jewish Committee.

The survey, conducted in the fall of 2022, was released Monday by the AJC, a prominent Jewish advocacy organization.

The survey was taken in a year of high-profile incidents of antisemitism, including a hostage-taking at a Texas synagogue and anti-Jewish statements shared by celebrities on social media. Former President Donald Trump dined with two openly antisemitic guests, drawing criticism from his own Jewish supporters.

According to the AJC survey, 41% of the respondents said the status of Jews in the U.S. is less secure than it was the year before, while 55% said it was the same. Only 4% thought it was more secure.

The results show anxieties increasing since a comparable survey in 2021, when 31% of respondents thought their status was less secure than a year earlier.

Four in five Jews said in the 2022 survey that antisemitism has grown in the past five years; nearly half said it’s taken less seriously than other forms of bigotry or hate.

A quarter of the respondents said they were directly targeted by antisemitic expressions, either in person or on social media, with 3% reporting a physical attack. Nearly four in 10 changed their behavior to lower risks to their safety.

Similarly, nearly four in ten reported avoiding visible expressions of Jewishness in public, such as wearing a skullcap. Smaller percentages reported taking similar steps on campus or at work.

Other findings:

—Nearly 90% of U.S. Jews — and the same percentage of the country's total population — believe antisemitism is a serious problem, up from 73% in 2016.

—Of the Jews surveyed in 2022, 63% said that they see law enforcement as appropriately responsive when it comes to antisemitism, a substantial drop from 2019 when that number was 81%.

The survey collected data from a nationally representative sample of 1,507 adults of Jewish religion or background. It was conducted from Sept. 28 through Nov. 3.

News of antisemitic incidents surfaces almost daily in the U.S. Earlier this month, for example, numerous antisemitic flyers were distributed in suburban Atlanta, including at the home of Georgia’s only Jewish state legislator.

Rep. Esther Panitch, a freshman Democrat, denounced the flyers from the floor of the House of Representatives, with dozens of colleagues surrounding her to show solidarity.

“This weekend, it was my turn to be targeted,” Panitch said. “Unfortunately, it’s not the first time to be afraid as a Jew in the United States.”

On Thursday, Doug Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, took his campaign against antisemitism to the United Nations, urging diplomats from many nations to speak out against the rising global hatred of Jews and stressing: “Silence is not an option.”

Emhoff pointed to celebrity comedians too often using antisemitism “to draw cheap laughs, high profile entertainers and politicians openly spouting tired antisemitic tropes (and) others making comments laced with not so subtle innuendo.”

Among the most dramatic antisemitic incidents in 2022 was the January hostage standoff at Congregation Beth Israel synagogue in Colleyville, Texas, a suburb of Forth Worth.

A pistol-wielding British man took four people at the synagogue hostage and held them for 10 hours before they escaped, and the captor was killed by the FBI.

[eretzyisrael]

The FBI on Sunday identified British national Malik Faisal Akram, 44, as the person who took hostages in a standoff at a Texas synagogue.

Two teenagers were also arrested in Britain in connection to the hostage situation, the Greater Manchester Police announced on Twitter. They were arrested Sunday evening, the police said, and remained in custody for questioning as of 7:00 p.m. ET.

The Greater Manchester Police did not name the suspects or whether they faced any charges. FBI Dallas spokeswoman Katie Chaumont referred questions to police in Manchester.

Dallas FBI chief Matthew DeSarno said the investigation involved Britain and Israel, and the assailant was focused on an issue not directly connected to the Jewish community. London’s Metropolitan Police said Akram was from the Lancashire area of northwest England and British counterterrorism police worked with U.S. authorities on the case.

[poetry-protest-pornography]

Thank god

I am saddened that the man that did this is dead, he clearly needed help, but I am incredibly relieved that the hostages are safe

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1.17.22 Headlines

WORLD NEWS

Abu Dhabi: Suspected drone attack kills 3, wounds 6 (AP)

“A suspected drone attack claimed by Yemen’s Houthi rebels targeting a key oil facility in Abu Dhabi killed three people on Monday and sparked a separate fire at Abu Dhabi’s international airport. Emirati police identified the dead as two Indian nationals and one Pakistani. Several people were also wounded at an industrial area where Abu Dhabi’s state-owned energy company runs a pipeline network and an oil tanker storage facility.”

Tonga: Anxious wait for news after Tonga tsunami cut off (BBC)

“Tongans living overseas are facing an anxious wait for news of loved ones after a volcano triggered a tsunami. The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haʻapai volcano erupted on Saturday, about 65km (40 miles) north of the capital Nuku'alofa. The eruption, which was heard as far away as the US, caused waves higher than a metre to crash into Tonga. The authorities have not confirmed any deaths but communications are crippled, making it difficult to establish the scale of the destruction.”

North Korea: Fires short-range missiles in 4th launch this month (AP)

“North Korea fired two suspected ballistic missiles into the sea Monday in its fourth weapons launch this month, South Korea’s military said, with the apparent goal of demonstrating its military might during paused diplomacy with the United States and pandemic border closures.”

US NEWS

Winter Storm: Thousands without power as US and Canada hit by winter storm (BBC)

“A major winter storm has brought heavy snow and ice to parts of the US and Canada, putting more than 80 million people under weather warnings. More than 145,000 people are without power in some south-eastern states, and thousands of flights are cancelled. Virginia, Georgia, and North and South Carolina have all declared states of emergency. The US National Weather Service (NWS) says more than 1ft (30cm) of snow is expected in some areas.”

Synagogue Hostage Standoff: Texas rabbi says he, 2 hostages escaped (AP)

“The rabbi of a Texas synagogue says he threw a chair at the gunman and then escaped with two other hostages after 10-hour standoff. Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker told “CBS Mornings” on Monday that he let the gunman in Saturday because he appeared to need shelter. He said the man was not threatening or suspicious at first. Later, he heard a gun click as he was praying. Authorities identified the hostage-taker as 44-year-old British national, Malik Faisal Akram, who was killed Saturday night after the last hostages ran out of Congregation Beth Israel around 9 p.m.”

MLK Day: Biden says Americans must commit to King’s work (AP)

“Americans must commit to the unfinished work of Martin Luther King Jr., delivering jobs and justice and protecting “the sacred right to vote, a right from which all other rights flow,” President Joe Biden said Monday. Martin Luther King Day is a moment when a mirror is being held up to America, the president said in a video address.”

[freeindependentnews]

Texas AG Paxton to Newsmax: Synagogue Standoff Shows Why FBI Isn't Trusted

By Sandy Fitzgerald    |   Wednesday, 19 January 2022 02:45 PM

The difference in stories between a Texas rabbi who was held hostage this past Saturday and the FBI shows yet another reason why Americans are losing trust in federal law enforcement officials, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said on Newsmax Wednesday.

"God bless the rabbi for his heroic efforts," Paxton said on Newsmax's "John Bachman Now."

"I have a lot of admiration for his courage, so thankfully, he acted quickly and thoughtfully and saved those lives."

https://www.newsmax.com/politics/paxton-synagogue-fbi-rabbi/2022/01/19/id/1053098/

[beardedmrbean]

DALLAS -- A man who sold a pistol to a man who used it to hold four hostages inside a Texas synagogue before being fatally shot by the FBI early this year pleaded guilty Thursday to a federal gun crime, the U.S. Department of Justice said.

Henry “Michael” Dwight Williams, 32, pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, prosectors said. Williams sold Malik Faisal Akram the weapon Arkam used when he entered Congregation Beth Israel in the Dallas-area suburb of Colleyville on Jan. 15 and held the synagogue’s rabbi and three others hostage, according to prosecutors.

Williams faces up to 10 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not been set.

Williams, who previously was convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and attempted possession of a controlled substance, sold Akram a semi-automatic pistol on Jan. 13. In plea papers, Williams admitted to possession of that firearm despite his prior conviction, prosecutors said.

Akram, a 44-year-old British citizen, held hostages while demanding the release of a federal prisoner. The standoff ended after more than 10 hours when the temple’s rabbi threw a chair at Akram and fled with the other two remaining hostages just as an FBI tactical team was moving in. None of the hostages were injured.

Williams was arrested less than two weeks later.

[insideusnet]

Man who sold gun used in Texas synagogue standoff sentenced to 95 months in prison | CNN : Inside US

Man who sold gun used in Texas synagogue standoff sentenced to 95 months in prison | CNN : Inside US

CNN  —  The man who sold a pistol to a gunman who used it to hold four people hostage at a Colleyville, Texas, synagogue in an 11-hour standoff in January has been sentenced to 95 months in prison, the US attorney for the Northern District of Texas announced. Henry “Michael” Dwight Williams, who had been indicted in February, pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm in June.…

[okgooglenews]

Man Who Sold Gun Used in Synagogue Standoff Gets Nearly 8 Years in Prison - The New York Times

* Man Who Sold Gun Used in Synagogue Standoff Gets Nearly 8 Years in Prison  The New York Times * Man set to be sentenced on gun charge in Colleyville synagogue hostage situation  WFAA * Texas man who sold gun to hostage-taker gets nearly 8 years  ABC News * Man who sold gun used in Colleyville synagogue hostage crisis sentenced to 8 years in prison  WFAA.com * Texas man who sold gun to synagogue hostage-taker gets nearly 8 years  NBC News * View Full Coverage on Google News http://dlvr.it/Sbg58l

[lazymains]

Who wrote the play the hostage

Texas authorities evacuated nearby residents during the ordeal. “At any moment, I thought there was going to be a gunshot,” she said. The man reportedly told congregants that he was “not a criminal” and vacillated from apologetic concern, speaking in different languages and “screaming hysterically,” congregation member Stacey Silverman later told CNN. Roughly 200 federal, state and local law enforcement officers, including a team of FBI agents from Virginia, converged on the synagogue on Saturday morning.Įmergency teams near Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas on Saturday (Smiley N. She said her client maintains her innocence. Though she has not spoken to Siddiqui since the attack began, she said her client would “condemn this and not support this in any way” and had “always maintained that no violence should be done in her name”. we don’t know who he is and why he decided to do the irrational thing he’s doing now.” “We have no idea where this guy came from. “He has no relation to the family, no relation to the supporters, nothing,” Ms Elbially said. Marwa Elbially told The Independent that she has no idea who the man is nor does he have any connection to the Siddiqui family. In a statement, the Texas Department of Public Safety said the man demanded to see his “sister” Siddiqui.Īn attorney who represents Siddiqui said “she has absolutely no involvement with” the incident, nor is the man her brother. US Representative Michael McCaul of Texas, the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told CNN on Sunday that “the FBI has now fanned their investigation out to London and Tel Aviv, so this has now turned into an international investigation.” “We will continue to work to find motives and we will continue on that path in terms of the resolution of the incident,” he said. Mr DeSarno said that police believe the man was “singularly focused on one issue and it was not specifically related to the Jewish community”. “We have been in contact already with multiple FBI to include Tel Aviv and London,” he said. Video captured at the scene shows law enforcement surrounding the building as people flee from a side door of the synagogue.įBI special agent in charge Matthew DeSarno told reporters on Saturday that a law enforcement investigation “will have global reach.” One hostage was released shortly after 5pm, and the standoff with police concluded after 9pm. The man, who was reportedly armed with a gun and explosives, took four people hostage, including the rabbi. On the livestream, a man with an apparent British accent could be heard shouting and demanding the release of Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist suspected of ties to al-Qaeda and convicted in Texas of trying to kill US military officers in Afghanistan. Inventor: John Leslie.Police were called to Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, outside of Fort Worth, before 11am on Saturday during a morning service which was being live-streamed to Facebook. You can help out by making a small donation or by using this site's affiliate links when you shop at or. This site is supported by advertising and by donations. WWW Page Added: Sunday, December 30, 2001 These are simple illustrations rather than strong opponents.īug Reports - Thank you! Keep them coming! If you cannot, a pawn may not be taken to your far rank. Swap promoted pawns with pieces that your enemy has in prison. Must be of equal or greater value than the prisoner your replace. Pieces after first returning one of your own prisoners to the airfield You should find this in the Security tab of your Java control panel. Besides that, recent versions of Java will block this script unless you add to your Java exceptions list. Internet Explorer and Safari should still support it. Recent versions of Chrome, Firefox, and Edge do not support Java.

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1.16.22 Headlines

WORLD NEWS

Canada & The US: Millions under weather alerts as major winter storm hits US and Canada (BBC)

“A winter storm is bringing heavy snow and ice to parts of the US and Canada, with millions under weather warnings. Thousands of flights have been cancelled, and power cuts have been reported in some south-eastern states. Virginia, Georgia, and North and South Carolina declared states of emergency. The US National Weather Service (NWS) said the storm would hit much of the eastern third of the country over the next two days, with more than 1ft (30cm) of snow expected in some areas. The huge storm system is approaching the eastern US from the Midwest.”

Tonga: Ash-covered Tonga is like a moonscape (BBC)

“A massive volcanic eruption in Tonga that triggered tsunami waves has smothered the Pacific islands in ash, cut power and severed communications. Up to 80,000 people there could be affected, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) told the BBC. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the tsunami had wreaked "significant damage", washing boats ashore and battering beachside shops. No deaths have been reported so far.”

Australia: Djokovic deported for being unvaccinated (AP)

“Novak Djokovic was deported from Australia on Sunday after losing a bid to stay in the country to defend his Australian Open title despite not being vaccinated against COVID-19. A masked Djokovic was photographed in a Melbourne airport lounge with two government officials in black uniforms before he left for Dubai. It’s not clear where he will go from there.“

US NEWS

Covid: Deaths and cases are rising again at US nursing homes (AP)

“COVID-19 infections are soaring again at U.S. nursing homes because of the omicron wave, and deaths are climbing too, leading to new restrictions on family visits and a renewed push to get more residents and staff members vaccinated and boosted. Nursing homes were the lethal epicenter of the pandemic early on, before the vaccine allowed many of them to reopen to visitors last year. But the wildly contagious variant has dealt them a setback.”

Synagogue Hostage Standoff: British man identified as hostage-taker at Texas synagogue (AP)

“Authorities on Sunday identified a 44-year-old British national as the man who took four people hostage at a Texas synagogue for 10 hours before an FBI SWAT team stormed the building, ending a tense standoff that President Joe Biden called “an act of terror.” Malik Faisal Akram was shot and killed after the last of the hostages got out at around 9 p.m. Saturday at Congregation Beth Israel near Fort Worth. In a statement, the FBI said there was no indication that anyone else was involved, but it didn’t provide a possible motive.”

Economy: Thieves in LA are looting freight trains filled with packages from UPS, FedEx and Amazon (CNN)

“Photos and videos showing piles of empty boxes littered alongside rail tracks in Los Angeles County, California have gone viral as shipping companies say they've seen a dramatic spike in railroad theft. Some of the boxes are packages from companies like UPS, Amazon and FedEx. Union Pacific, one of the country's largest railroad companies, says it may avoid operating in Los Angeles County following the spike in thefts, which it blames on lax prosecution of crimes. The containers and trains are locked, but can be broken into.”