Two teenagers have been arrested in the British city of Manchester after the FBI said an armed British man traveled to Texas and took four hostages inside of a synagogue. President Joe Biden called the synagogue siege “an act of terror.”
The two were arrested in the UK on Sunday night. Counter-terrorism police said that they were arrested as part of an ongoing investigation into the attack and were in custody for questioning. It has not been released yet what the ages and genders are for the pair.
Counter-terror policing in the UK is assisting the investigation led by US authorities.
The 11-hour standoff happened in the Dallas suburb called Colleyville on Saturday night, at the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue. A 44-year-old British national Malik Faisal Akram was identified and named by the FBI. He was pronounced dead following the FBI storming the building. All four hostages were unharmed and survived the siege. It is believed that Akram acted alone.
Biden condemned the incident on Sunday night, calling it an act of terror.
It is not yet clear how Akram was able to procure weapons in the United States. It is currently being assumed that he bought the guns on the street when he landed. How long he was in the U.S. before the attack has not been released yet by authorities. Neither has information on where he entered the country, or what visa he was on in order to enter.
In the UK, British foreign secretary Liz Truss condemned the attack as well, posting her statement on Twitter. She said that the UK stands with the US in defending the rights and freedoms of citizens, and protecting them against those who spread hatred.
It was the latest in a string of attacks on Jewish places of worship across the U.S.
Be the first to comment