Texas synagogue hostage-taker had stayed in area shelters

COLLEYVILLE, Texas — An equipped antheral who took 4 radical hostage during a 10-hour standoff astatine a Texas synagogue had spent clip successful country stateless shelters successful the 2 weeks starring up to the attack.

Wayne Walker is the CEO of OurCalling, a Dallas installation that provides services to stateless people. He said 44-year-old Malik Faisal Akram spent the nighttime of Jan. 2 there.

“He was dropped disconnected (at the synagogue) by idiosyncratic that looked similar helium had a narration with him,” said Walker, who said they’d turned photos and video implicit to the FBI.

Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker, who was among the 4 taken hostage astatine Congregation Beth Israel synagogue, told “CBS Mornings” Monday that he’d fto Akram into the gathering connected Saturday greeting due to the fact that helium appeared to request shelter.

Cytron-Walker says the antheral was not threatening oregon suspicious astatine first. Later, helium heard a weapon click arsenic helium was praying.

During the hostage negotiations, Akram demanded the merchandise of a Pakistani neuroscientist who was convicted of trying to termination U.S. Army officers successful Afghanistan.

Cytron-Walker aboriginal told CBS Mornings that helium and 2 others were capable to flight the gathering aft helium threw a seat astatine the gunman aft a 10-hour standoff.

The FBI connected Sunday nighttime issued a connection calling the ordeal “a terrorism-related matter, successful which the Jewish assemblage was targeted.”

Two different suspects were arrested successful the U.K. Monday successful transportation with the incident.

The synagogue is successful Colleyville, a metropolis of astir 26,000 radical located northwest of Dallas.