# Hostages taken at Texas synagogue - Breaking News **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 15, 2022, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hostages-taken-at-texas-synagogue-breaking-news/957867 "2022-01-15T21:14:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2022, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hostages-taken-at-texas-synagogue-breaking-news/957867/21 "2022-01-16T04:18:15Z")
**Texas officials say all hostages safe, out of Colleyville synagogue; hostage-taker dead** Read more at: > **[Texas officials say all hostages safe, out of Colleyville synagogue;...](https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/crime/article257360862.html#storylink=cpy)** > > FBI crisis negotiators communicated for several hours with a man who was holding four hostages and released one before a Hostage Rescue Team breached the synagogue. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2022, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hostages-taken-at-texas-synagogue-breaking-news/957867/22 "2022-01-16T04:21:41Z")
Aye; the AP just updated their story to note the death of the captor. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2022, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hostages-taken-at-texas-synagogue-breaking-news/957867/23 "2022-01-16T04:27:45Z")
They’re doing a live press conference on CNN right now. I’m glad the hostages are safe. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2022, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hostages-taken-at-texas-synagogue-breaking-news/957867/24 "2022-01-16T05:01:23Z")
I streamed CNN for a short while and saw only the usual talking head speculating about future attacks. Anyway, from the sounds that were described, it appears they disoriented the captor with a flash-bang device and then shot him. A risky proposition, but probably the only expedient solution. ---
**Author:** ![JaneDoe42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janedoe42/32/14104_2.png) [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2022, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hostages-taken-at-texas-synagogue-breaking-news/957867/25 "2022-01-16T05:08:11Z")
That’s what I got from it as well. I’m so sorry for all of the victims. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2022, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hostages-taken-at-texas-synagogue-breaking-news/957867/26 "2022-01-16T07:43:40Z")
I’m thankful they got the hostages out. It could have been worse if people had attended in person. I assume they were live streaming from home. ---
**Author:** ![filmstar-en](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/50afbb/32.png) [@filmstar-en](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmstar-en)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2022, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hostages-taken-at-texas-synagogue-breaking-news/957867/27 "2022-01-17T23:44:20Z")
The hostage taker was British and seems to have flown to the US in order to free Aafia Siddiqui by taking hostages. His family say he was mentally disturbed and his brother tried to talk to him during the siege. I guess the investigation will try to establish whether he acted alone and whether there were any warnings that were missed. > **[Texas synagogue siege: Teens held in UK as Briton named as hostage-taker](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-60019251)** > > Briton Malik Faisal Akram died in the standoff with police after taking four hostages. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2022, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hostages-taken-at-texas-synagogue-breaking-news/957867/28 "2022-01-18T00:03:58Z")
> “It’s sad. This is America. You’re supposed to be able to be safe everywhere you go,” [Suzanne Hughes] added. Nope. Texas. ---
**Author:** ![JaneDoe42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janedoe42/32/14104_2.png) [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2022, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hostages-taken-at-texas-synagogue-breaking-news/957867/29 "2022-01-18T00:31:43Z")
My big question is how a British citizen was able to fly to Texas and get a gun in less than a month. How would he know the underground culture well enough to do that without other people helping him. For ex: I could illegally get a gun for someone who isn’t allowed to possess, but that person has to be someone who means a lot to me. I wouldn’t risk such a thing for a stranger. And yes, I do understand that it was Texas, but I’m in AZ and the federal gun laws still apply to both states. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2022, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hostages-taken-at-texas-synagogue-breaking-news/957867/30 "2022-01-18T00:36:10Z")
It’s _Texas_. If there’s any state where it’s possible for a foreigner to get a gun on short notice, it’s probably there. I wouldn’t be too terribly surprised if we learned the gun was purchased legally, and that he didn’t do anything wrong until he held it at someone’s head. ---
**Author:** ![filmstar-en](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/50afbb/32.png) [@filmstar-en](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmstar-en)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2022, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hostages-taken-at-texas-synagogue-breaking-news/957867/31 "2022-01-18T01:18:26Z")
> **[Texas synagogue siege: British man who took four hostage in Texas was on call...](https://news.sky.com/story/texas-synagogue-siege-british-man-who-took-four-hostage-in-texas-was-on-call-with-his-children-when-he-was-shot-dead-12518516)** > > The home secretary has spoken with her US counterpart to offer the "full support and cooperation of the British police and security services" following the stand-off in Colleyville. The gunman's brother, Gulbar Akram, said Malik Faisal... ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2022, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hostages-taken-at-texas-synagogue-breaking-news/957867/32 "2022-01-18T07:56:43Z")
I’d like to add that law enforcement didn’t actually free the hostages - Rabbi Cytron-Walker waited for the right moment, then chucked a chair at the gunman, grabbed the other two guys and bolted out a door, without a shot being fired. How the hostage-taker was subsequently shot dead still hasn’t been explained. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2022, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hostages-taken-at-texas-synagogue-breaking-news/957867/33 "2022-01-18T12:47:27Z")
AP story: > **[Texas rabbi says he, 2 hostages escaped synagogue standoff](https://apnews.com/article/texas-synagogue-hostage-standoff-terrorism-d4b1e482919d28fdaf25de0776dd1200)** > > The rabbi of a Texas synagogue where a gunman took hostages during livestreamed services says he threw a chair at his captor before escaping with two others after an hourslong standoff. > [@](#): > > “First of all, we escaped. We weren’t released or freed,” said Cohen, who was one of four people in the synagogue for services that many other [Congregation Beth Israel](https://apnews.com/article/religion-texas-dallas-fort-worth-e7fd3fbe864e14db4facd7610465bd9a) members were watching online. > > Cohen said the men worked to keep the gunman engaged. They talked to the gunman, and he lectured them. At one point as the situation devolved, Cohen said the gunman told them to get on their knees. Cohen recalled rearing up in his chair and slowly moving his head and mouthing “no.” As the gunman moved to sit back down, Cohen said Cytron-Walker yelled to run. > > “The exit wasn’t too far away,” Cytron-Walker said. “I told them to go. I threw a chair at the gunman, and I headed for the door. And all three of us were able to get out without even a shot being fired.” ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2022, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hostages-taken-at-texas-synagogue-breaking-news/957867/34 "2022-01-18T14:11:27Z")
Its horrific that there is a need to train the congregation but thankfully they did. [‘I was not going to let him assassinate us’: How Texas synagogue hostages used security training to flee](https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/i-was-not-going-to-let-him-assassinate-us-how-texas-synagogue-hostages-used-security-training-to-flee/ar-AASTA0S?ocid=msedgntp) ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2022, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hostages-taken-at-texas-synagogue-breaking-news/957867/35 "2022-01-18T14:19:49Z")
> [@ekedolphin](#): > > It’s _Texas_. If there’s any state where it’s possible for a foreigner to get a gun on short notice, it’s probably there. I wouldn’t be too terribly surprised if we learned the gun was purchased legally, and that he didn’t do anything wrong until he held it at someone’s head. Unconfirmed reports say it was a private sale. That doesn’t mean it was a legal private sale. If you read the article that Bo posted it said he was dropped off at the shelter he was staying at by someone he appeared to know well. That is going to be an interesting part of the case going forward. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2022, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hostages-taken-at-texas-synagogue-breaking-news/957867/36 "2022-01-18T17:41:41Z")
I believe Texas doesn’t require a background check for private gun sales, typically known as the “gun show loophole”. ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2022, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hostages-taken-at-texas-synagogue-breaking-news/957867/37 "2022-01-18T18:10:42Z")
This is correct ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2022, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hostages-taken-at-texas-synagogue-breaking-news/957867/38 "2022-01-18T18:17:16Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > I’d like to add that law enforcement didn’t actually free the hostages - Rabbi Cytron-Walker waited for the right moment, then chucked a chair at the gunman, grabbed the other two guys and bolted out a door, without a shot being fired. Here’s the interview with the rabbi. If I’m ever a hostage, I hope I have a guy with this calm bravery with me. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/ErorId3xt6o/maxresdefault.jpg "Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker shares what happened inside Texas synagogue during hostage crisis") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErorId3xt6o&t=270) And this is video of the hostages actually running out of the door. The terrorist appears a moment later at the door holding a gun, then disappears back inside. I don’t think the title of this video reflects what actually happened - based on the rabbi’s interview, their escape preceded FBI entry. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/ahMAF9cVb98/maxresdefault.jpg "DRAMATIC, UNCUT VIDEO: Hostages escape building just as FBI breaches Texas synagogue.") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahMAF9cVb98) ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2022, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hostages-taken-at-texas-synagogue-breaking-news/957867/39 "2022-01-18T19:01:36Z")
That’s a pretty impressive video. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2022, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hostages-taken-at-texas-synagogue-breaking-news/957867/40 "2022-01-18T19:19:12Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > How the hostage-taker was subsequently shot dead still hasn’t been explained. Are you implying that there’s anything controversial in this, or am I reading too much into your phrasing? It sounds like they stormed the building with flashbangs, and I would assume they immediately shot him in the head. I think that’s standard tactics (not just in the U.S.) with terroristic bomb threats. There’s very limited leeway for surrender when someone has credibly threatened to detonate explosives. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hostages-taken-at-texas-synagogue-breaking-news/957867.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hostages-taken-at-texas-synagogue-breaking-news/957867.md?page=3)