British counterterrorism officers detain teens in Colleyville synagogue hostage case
Law enforcement authorities in England said on Sunday that they had arrested two teenagers in connection with the investigation of a hostage crisis at a synagogue in Colleyville.
Greater Manchester Police did not describe the roles that counterterrorism officers allege the teenagers had in the standoff on Saturday at Congregation Beth Israel. Police said they were in custody for questioning.
The FBI said that the hostage-taker was Malik Faisal Akram, 44. The British citizen died when a hostage rescue team breached the building about 11 hours after he entered it. None of the four hostages was injured.
The FBI said Sunday morning that there was no indication that people beyond Akram were involved.
“There are many questions that we would want to know,” U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told McClatchy and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on Sunday.
“What precisely was the motive; what was the planning involved; what were the communications with other individuals; what were the signs that this individual was in fact descending into a pathway to violence. The questions are many, and that is why it is so important that we continue to investigate what occurred yesterday and the individual involved.”
