Patrols Sent To Dallas Synagogues Amid Ongoing Hostage Situation In Colleyville - Mayor

WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th January, 2022) Synagogues in Dallas, Texas, are getting extra law enforcement protection amid the ongoing hostage-taking situation at the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue in Colleyville, Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson said.

"As a precaution, @DallasPD (police department) is deploying additional patrols to Dallas synagogues and other sites. Police are working with the Jewish Federation and our local, state, and Federal partners to monitor any concerns or threats based on the situation in Colleyville," Johnson said on Twitter.

The Colleyville Police Department said on Twitter that it was conducting Swat operations around the 6100 block of Pleasant Run Road and that the hostage situation "remains ongoing."

According to US media reports, FBI negotiators had established contact with the hostage taker. No injuries have been reported so far.

ABC news reported that an armed suspect claiming to have bombs took a rabbi and three others hostage at the Congregation Beth Israel on Saturday.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Twitter that US President Joe Biden had been updated on the ongoing hostage-taking situation.

Israel's Minister of Diaspora Affairs Nachman Shai said he was monitoring the situation.

"Monitoring closely from Israel the hostage situation unfolding at Beth Israel Congregation where the Jewish community gathered for Shabbat services in Colleyville, Texas. Praying for an immediate and safe end," Shai wrote on Twitter.

A US official told ABC that the hostage-taker is claiming to be the brother of convicted terrorist Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani woman who allegedly had ties to the al-Qaeda terror group (banned in Russia).

According to CBS, Siddiqui was convicted in 2010, for trying to kill US officers in Afghanistan. The hostage-taker is demanding freedom for his sister, who is serving her 86-year sentence in a US federal prison.