British police arrest two teenagers in investigation into Texas standoff
January 17, 2022, 8:04 am

British police arrest two teenagers in investigation into Texas standoff

UK police-Police community support/Pixabay

The Arab News reported according to media outlets, British police said Sunday they had arrested two teenagers in their investigation into an armed British national holding four people hostage during a 10-hour standoff at a Texas synagogue.

The Greater Manchester Police said in a statement: "Two teenagers were detained in South Manchester this evening. They remain in custody."

The statement did not name the suspects or whether they faced any charges.

Katie Chaumont, spokesman of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation in Dallas, Texas, referred questions to police in Manchester.

The FBI earlier identified the hostage-taker as Malik Faisal Akram, a 44-year-old British national.

UK police-London city in England/Pixabay

Akram could be heard ranting on a Facebook livestream of the services and demanding the release of Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist suspected of having ties to Al-Qaeda who was convicted of trying to kill US Army officers in Afghanistan.

Members of Siddiqui's family had denied any ties with Akram or the incident.

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Akram was shot dead on Saturday night by FBI SWAT operatives, who rushed into the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue as the captor reportedly grew “increasingly belligerent and threatening.”

The FBI had said there was no indication that anyone else was involved, but it had not provided a possible motive as of Sunday afternoon.

Federal investigators believe Akram purchased the handgun used in the hostage taking in a private sale, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.

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A law enforcement official said that Akram arrived in the US at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York about two weeks ago on a tourist visa from the UK.

London’s Metropolitan Police said in a statement that its counter-terrorism police were liaising with US authorities about the incident.

Akram's brother Gulbar posted on Facebook that the suspect, from the industrial town of Blackburn in the north of England, suffered from mental illness and said relatives had spent all night at a Blackburn police station "liaising with Faisal, the negotiators, FBI etc."

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Gulbar wrote on the Blackburn Muslim Community's Facebook page: "There was nothing we could have said to him or done that would have convinced him to surrender."

He said the FBI was due to fly into the UK "later today," saying that the family as a result could say little more.

The brother wrote: "We would like to say that we as a family do not condone any of his actions and would like to sincerely apologize wholeheartedly to all the victims involved in the unfortunate incident."

Source: arabnews

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
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Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
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For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”