Hostages rescued safely in Texas Synagogue Standoff, says Governor Greg Abbott

Hostage negotiators were locked in a tense standoff January 15 at the Texas synagogue where a man claiming to be the brother of a convicted terrorist has reportedly taken a rabbi and several others captive, police and media said. Image/AFP

All the people taken hostage at a synagogue in the town of Colleyville, Dallas were released safely on Saturday night, Governor Texas Greg Abbott said on Saturday (local time).

In a Tweet, the Governor said: "Prayers answered. All hostages are out alive and safe." At least four people were taken hostages by a man at a synagogue in the town of Colleyville, Dallas for more than ten hours on Saturday. A live stream of the Shabbat morning service at the synagogue on Facebook captured audio of a man talking loudly when the incident started.

According to the law enforcement officials, the hostage-taker demanded the release of the Pakistani scientist Aafia Siddiqui, who was convicted of trying to kill US military officers while in custody in Afghanistan. Siddiqui is currently being held at FMC Carswell, a federal prison in Fort Worth Texas.

However, the Colleyville Police Department later in a statement said that one male hostage has been released. "Shortly after 5:00 pm, a male hostage was released uninjured. This man will be reunited with his family as soon as possible and he does not require medical attention. FBI Crisis Negotiators continue contact with the subject," the Colleyville Police Department said.

On Saturday, at approximately 10:41 am, the Colleyville Police Department received a Call for Service in the 6100 block of Pleasant Run Road. Officers arrived on the scene and have observed an emergency situation that warranted evacuation of the surrounding areas end an external perimeter was established.

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