New York police are increasing patrols at synagogues around the city after a man held several people hostage yesterday in Colleyville, Texas.
Authorities say a rabbi in Brooklyn received a phone call from one of those hostages, relaying the suspect’s demands to release Aafia Siddiqui, a Texas prisoner linked to Al-Qaeda.
Siddiqui was convicted in New York in 2010 on seven counts including attempted murder and armed robbery against US military officers in Afghanistan.
He is currently serving an 86-year prison sentence in Texas.
According to initial investigations, police say the suspect claimed there were explosives near Brooklyn synagogues. However, authorities do not believe this to be true.
The suspect died after a confrontation with police and his identity has not yet been released to the public.
In a tweet, Mayor Eric Adams said the situation in Texas was being monitored and that out of an abundance of caution, the Police Department deployed additional resources to key Jewish locations around the city.
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