SWAT team responds to Texas synagogue

Colleyville Police Chief Michael Miller confirmed that “the subject is deceased” but would not say whether had been killed by law enforcement or himself.Miller and FBI Special Agent in Charge Matthew DeSarno declined in a news conference after the standoff’s conclusion to share more information about the identity of the suspect, saying an investigation with “global reach” is underway.A law enforcement official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation said the man’s motive for taking hostages appears to be his anger over the U.S. imprisonment of Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani woman being held in federal prison in Fort Worth for trying to kill U.S. soldiers. “They condemn any type of violence done in [Siddiqui’s] name,” Elbially said.Stacey Silverman, who has been a member of the congregation for 13 years and was watching the service when the hostages were taken, said the suspect could be heard saying that he had flown to the area from 5,000 miles away, and that he said he chose a synagogue because the United States “only cares about Jewish lives."Minutes before the live stream cut off, the man could be heard talking on the phone, sharing chilling words to whomever he was speaking with: “Don’t cry about me. Chairman Harold Gernsbacher, who lives in Dallas, was called about the situation about 11 a.m.He said the group worked with the Congregation Beth Israel, including Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker, on Aug. 22 to evaluate the perimeter of the synagogue and practice safety drills in case a shooting ever occurred.“We’re dealing with the fact that antisemitic acts are on the rise across America,” said Amy Korenvaes, a board member of the Secure Community Network.Anna Salton Eisen, founder and first president of Congregation Beth Israel, described the congregation as “a lot of people who are from other places.” Mostly, she said, it has become a mosaic of individuals from all over the country bound together by the desire to create a community for themselves.