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British police have arrested two teenagers in South Manchester in relation to the man who took several hostages in a Texas synagogue on January 15. The hostage-taker, Malik Faisal Akram, flew to the US with a British passport and was living in the United Kingdom. The hostages were released unharmed and Akram was killed when the FBI entered the synagogue following a 10-hour stand-off. Authorities in both countries are collaborating on an investigation.
Synagogue hostage-taker identified
British counter-terrorism police arrested the two teenagers in connection to the hostage-taking in Texas, but other details of the situation have not been made public.
Police in Manchester confirmed that the two are in custody and being questioned. Names, ages, genders, and suspected roles in the attack have not been elaborated on.
Akram’s brother, Gulbar, made a statement on behalf of the family condemning his actions and apologizing to the victims, adding that religious or ethnic violence should never be acceptable.
Gulbar reported that Akram had “mental health issues” and said that the family was devastated but did not think that the 44-year-old could have been convinced to surrender. Gulbar did say that he does not believe his brother would have actually killed any hostages.
Statements like this from shocked family members are common after attacks, but in this case, what Gulbar says largely appears to be supported by events in the synagogue.
Akram is not known to be connected to any larger network of terrorists and seems to have acted on his own initiative, but he may have had help from other individuals. Possibly including the two teenagers arrested in Manchester.
Bizarre behavior
The four hostages were threatened for hours but Akram ultimately appears to have let them go. He made it clear throughout the ordeal that he wanted it to end with his death.
His motivation was ostensibly securing the release of Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist who is in federal prison in the United States for attempting to murder US officers in Afghanistan.
Akram at times falsely claimed that Siddiqui was his sister. He thought that because “Jews control the world” the hostages could put him in contact with the “chief rabbi of the United States” (who does not exist) and convince him to order Siddiqui’s release.
Hostages say that Akram spent much of the stand-off ranting semi-coherently and alternating between apologizing to his victims and trying to convince them that he was not a criminal and hysterical outbursts and threats of violence.
Akram released one hostage and later appears to have made no effort to stop the other three when they saw an opportunity to escape.
American and British authorities are investigating the incident as an act of terrorism and hope to establish a more coherent motive for the attack.
