#THE HOSTAGE FREE#

In 2018, for instance, an Ohio man who prosecutors say planned to fly to Texas and attack the prison where Siddiqui is being held in an attempt to free her was sentenced to 22 years in prison.[ Beatrice Lau is a humanitarian worker from Hong custody, and her case has continued to draw attention from supporters. In the years since, Pakistan officials have expressed interest publicly in any sort of deal or swap that could result in her release from U.S. The punishment sparked outrage in Pakistan among political leaders and her supporters, who viewed her as victimized by the American criminal justice system. Army officers after being detained in Afghanistan two years earlier. Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist with advanced degrees from Brandeis University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was sentenced in 2010 to 86 years in prison on charges that she assaulted and shot at U.S. It wasn't immediately clear if the person is related to Siddiqui. She's currently being held at FMC Carswell in Fort Worth, Texas. Siddiqui was convicted by a federal jury in 2010 for attempting to kill U.S. The hostage taker has told authorities he wants the release of Aafia Siddiqui from federal prison, according to NBC News, citing three senior law enforcement officials. 'Especially in this area, you never think something like this is going to hit home until it does.'Ĭolleyville, a town of about 26,000, is about 16 miles northeast of Fort Worth.Ī White House official told NBC News that it is 'closely monitoring' the potential hostage situation. I'm hopeful it ends the best way it can, obviously with no one hurt,' she said. When the live stream cut out, the man was getting pretty irate, Francis told AP. She said it sounded like the man was talking to the police department on the phone, with the rabbi and another person trying to help with the negotiations. 'He was clearly in extreme distress.'įrancis, who lives in Rhome, Texas and grew up near Colleyville, tuned in after she read about the hostage situation. If you make a mistake, this is all on you.' And he'd laugh at that,' she said. He was pretty irritated and the more irritated he got, he'd make more threats, like 'I'm the guy with the bomb.

She said she heard the man rant against America and claim he had a bomb. Texas resident Victoria Francis told The Associated Press that she watched about an hour of the live stream before it cut out.

The man reportedly mentioned his sister and Islam, and said repeatedly he thought he was going to die, according to the report. The paper said an angry man could be heard ranting and talking about religion, but the live stream did not show what was happening inside the building. The synagogue had been live-streaming its service on Facebook when listeners started to hear muffled audio between an alleged hostage-taker and negotiators, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said in a tweet it was also assisting with the situation.ĬNN reported that no injuries were reported so far, and residents in the immediate area were evacuated. The FBI and Texas Department of Public Safety were also at the scene, according to CNN. The Colleyville Police Department said on Twitter it was conducting SWAT operations at the location of Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas.