Two teens arrested in England, FBI admits synagogue attack was anti-Semitic terrorism

AP Photo/Jake Bleiberg

The terrorist attack on a synagogue in Colleyville, Texas Saturday during Shabbat services ended after an eleven-hour ordeal. Fortunately, the four men held hostage, including the rabbi, were released unharmed. The Jihadi terrorist, a British national, is dead. His identity was released on Sunday.

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Malik Faisal Akram, a 44-year-old Muslim from Blackburn, traveled two weeks ago to the United States and lived in homeless shelters before Saturday. His brother says he was mentally ill and asks a good question – why was Malik Akram allowed into the U.S. with his criminal record? Biden said the terrorist acquired a gun on the street, too. To his credit, Biden called it an act of terror when he finally got around to addressing the attack on Sunday when asked by the press about it. However, he also said there was not sufficient information on why the gunman had targeted the synagogue.

Malik’s brother Gulbar issued a statement on behalf of the family last night in which he told of their ‘devastation’ and revealed how relatives had been in contact with Malik during his attack at the police’s request but could not convince him to surrender.

But speaking to Sky News he also demanded to know how the incident had been allowed to unfold. ‘He’s known to police. Got a criminal record. How was he allowed to get a visa and acquire a gun?’, he said.

Two teens from Manchester were arrested and are still in custody. There is little information coming forward on them, due to their ages.

He was described by his family as suffering ‘mental health issues’ but concerns over a wider plot grew last night as two teenagers were arrested over the incident by anti-terror officers in south Manchester.

The pair, both believed to be under 18, cannot be identified for legal reasons. They were still in custody overnight, Greater Manchester Police said.

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From the first statement issued by the FBI on Saturday night, there has been a lack of honesty in how the FBI has spoken about the terror attack. In an initial statement, an agent referred to the terrorist as a hostage taker and claimed that there was no known motive. He also said there was no indication that of a larger plot involved. By Sunday night, the FBI finally called it what it was – an anti-Semitic terrorism attack on a synagogue during worship services. Why was that so hard? Never mind, that’s a rhetorical question. Everyone following the story knew what it was from the beginning. The man admitted he traveled “5,000 miles” and chose the synagogue because of its proximity to DFW airport. That was heard on the live stream during the ordeal. The synagogue live streamed its services because of the pandemic.

So, the FBI released a statement to clean up its messaging mess.

Thanks, Captain Obvious.

Biden may have said there was not sufficient information on why he attacked a synagogue but the reason is clear to everyone else. The terrorist hated Jews and ranted about his hatred of them on the live stream. He was there to demand the release of a Jihadi terrorist, Aafia Siddiqu, convicted of plotting mass murders of American military members. She is known as “Lady Al Qaeda”. She isn’t his sister but that is how Akram referred to her. According to relatives, his use of the word ‘sister’ was a figure of speech. How much clearer could his actions have been to convince the FBI that it was an anti-Semitic act of terrorism? The FBI continues to render itself impotent and inept, caught up in its own pursuit of woke views of terrorism.

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At the time of his statement on Sunday, Biden admitted he had not spoken with the rabbi and he put a focus on the gun aspect of the story.

‘I don’t have all the facts and neither does the Attorney General, but allegedly the assertion was he got the weapons on the street, that he purchased them when he landed,’ Biden said.

‘And it turns out there were apparently no bombs that we know of, even though he said that there were bombs there as well.

‘He apparently spent the first night in a homeless shelter — I don’t have all the details, so I’m reluctant to go into much more detail, but allegedly he purchased it on the street. What that means, I don’t know if he purchased it from an individual in the homeless shelter or a homeless community.’

There are still many questions left in this story. The BBC reports that when Akram arrived in the U.S. two weeks ago, he flew into JFK airport, not DFW. It is being reported that Akram gained access to the synagogue by claiming he was a homeless man. The UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss described it as an “act of terrorism and anti-Semitism”. “We stand with US in defending the rights and freedoms of our citizens against those who spread hate,” she tweeted. And, how are the two teens connected to the terror attack?

Rabbi Cytron-Walker credits security training that the congregation has participated in for how they responded to the terror attack. He urged other congregations, religious groups and schools to take part in active-shooter and security courses.

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“Over the years, my congregation and I have participated in multiple security courses from the Colleyville Police Department, the FBI, the Anti-Defamation League, and the Secure Community Network,” Cytron-Walker said in the statement provided to The Hill through a spokesperson. “We are alive today because of that education.”

The rabbi said the hostage-taker “became increasingly belligerent and threatening” in the last hour of the standoff, adding that without the instruction, the group would not have been prepared to act and flee when the opportunity became available.

A Muslim terrorist took four men hostage in a synagogue during Shabbat services on Saturday morning, including the rabbi, and the FBI Special Agent in Charge’s first statement to the press absurdly said the suspect was “singularly focused on one issue” which “was not specifically related to the Jewish community.” Finally the FBI released an honest statement that said what everyone knew from the beginning. If the FBI isn’t willing to be honest in its language in such an obvious act of terrorism, especially given the dramatic increase in anti-Semitic attacks over the last few years, how can we trust them to investigate the crimes?

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David Strom 3:20 PM | November 15, 2024
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David Strom 12:40 PM | November 15, 2024
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