11 Hours of Fear, Negotiation and Finally, Relief
The New York Times
The F.B.I. identified Malik Faisal Akram, a British national, as the man who took hostages in a Texas synagogue on Saturday. He was killed during the rescue operation.
Just before New Year’s, a 44-year-old man from an industrial city in the north of England landed at Kennedy International Airport. On his travel documents, he listed his destination as a hotel on Queens Boulevard. His arrival raised no red flags.
Two weeks later, without explanation, he entered a service at a synagogue in suburban Fort Worth, Texas, some 1,600 miles from Queens and some 4,800 miles from his home. Thus began an 11-hour ordeal on Saturday that was partly livestreamed, captured the nation’s attention and ended dramatically in a barrage of flashes and gunfire that left him dead and four people he had held captive unharmed and thankful for their lives.
On Sunday, the authorities identified the man as Malik Faisal Akram, a British national. What drew him to Texas was still a mystery, though a possible motivation emerged as investigators reviewed the ranting demands he made as he held captive the rabbi and three other members of the synagogue, Congregation Beth Israel of Colleyville.
