Hostage-taker at Texas synagogue reportedly demanded release of al Qaeda-linked prisoner

Police chaplain
(Image credit: Photo by ANDY JACOBSOHN/AFP via Getty Images)

At least four people, including a rabbi, were being held hostage Saturday evening at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas, CNN reported.

The hostage-taker demanded the release of Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist linked to al Qaeda who was convicted of attempting to kill U.S. service-members in Afghanistan and is serving an 86-year sentence in a Texas prison. An FBI SWAT team was on the scene.

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Grayson Quay

Grayson Quay was the weekend editor at TheWeek.com. His writing has also been published in National Review, the Pittsburgh Post-GazetteModern AgeThe American ConservativeThe Spectator World, and other outlets. Grayson earned his M.A. from Georgetown University in 2019.