Biden calls Texas synagogue hostage-taking an act of terrorism

A gunman took four hostages during a service at a synagogue in the small town of Colleyville. He probably wanted to use it to free a Pakistani terrorist imprisoned in Texas.

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US President Joe Biden has condemned the hostage-taking in a synagogue in the US state of Texas as an act of terrorism. “It was an act of terrorism,” Biden said Sunday on the sidelines of an appointment in Philadelphia. The Democrat praised the police’s action, in which all hostages were released unharmed. “You just did a great job.”

A man took several hostages in a synagogue in the city of Colleyville near Dallas on Saturday. After hours of negotiations with the kidnapper, special forces entered the building in the evening (local time) and freed the hostages. These remained unharmed. The hostage-taker died. The police initially left it open how exactly. The authorities were also officially covered about the background. US media reported, citing investigators, that the kidnappers wanted to free a Pakistani scientist imprisoned in Texas, who was convicted of attempting to murder US soldiers in Afghanistan in 2010.

The police announced the identity of the hostage-taker on Sunday: it was a 44-year-old British citizen. There is currently no evidence that other people were involved, it said. (dpa)