On Saturday, a hostage situation has occurred at a synagogue in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area, prompting a statement from the White House. However, the statement did not detail where the hostage situation happened.
At the time of this reporting, the situation is still developing.
Reports are emerging that the alleged suspect is Muhammad Siddiqui, brother of Aafia Siddiqui. Aafia is currently imprisoned in Texas, on an 86-year sentence, for attempting to kill Americans in Afghanistan.
According to Foreign Policy, “Siddiqui … who’s known in counterterrorism circles as ‘Lady al Qaeda,’ has been linked to 9/11 ringleader Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and was once on the FBI’s most-wanted terrorists list. Educated in the United States — she studied at M.I.T. and received a doctorate from Brandeis — Siddiqui was arrested in 2008 in Afghanistan carrying sodium cyanide, as well as documents describing how to make chemical weapons and dirty bombs and how to weaponize Ebola. When FBI and military officials tried to question Siddiqui, she grabbed a weapon left on the table in her interrogation room and fired upon them.”
Texas Governor Greg Abbott took to Twitter to assure citizens that officials are handling the situation.
Prayers are being answered.
One of the hostages in the synagogue has been released uninjured.
3 more to go.
I talked with the Colleyville Mayor and offered the full assistance of the State of Texas. pic.twitter.com/y0g3gXgRbC
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) January 16, 2022
The statement released by the White House quickly drew backlash, as the omission of the suspect and location of the situation was not mentioned.
Any other details about where this is occurring, Jen?
— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) January 15, 2022
Nothing more specific than this? We have more confirmed critical details.
— Rebeccah Heinrichs (@RLHeinrichs) January 15, 2022
You couldn’t mention that it is taking place in a synagogue? https://t.co/9Bi69R1Whl
— Annika H Rothstein (@truthandfiction) January 15, 2022
On September 2nd, Former Vice President Joe Biden criticized Governor Greg Abbott for signing into law the ability for citizens to carry guns into places of worship. Biden told reporters, “Dealing with firearms, it is irrational, with all due respect to the governor of Texas, irrational what they are doing. On the very day you see a mass shooting … and we’re talking about loosening access to have guns, to be able to take them into places of worship, it’s just absolutely irrational. It’s totally irrational.”
