ABC News reported that an armed suspect claiming to have bombs took a rabbi and three others hostage at the Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas, during Shabbat services on Saturday.
The Colleyville Police Department said on Twitter that it was conducting SWAT operations around the 6100 block of Pleasant Run Road. The immediate area was being evacuated and residents were advised to stay away from the area.
According to Colleyville Police Sgt. Dara Nelson, no one was injured and there was "no threat to the general public", FBI negotiators have reportedly established contact with the suspect.
At the scene in Colleyville where a local synagogue is being held hostage. The Congregation Beth Israel, located at 6100 Pleasant Run Rd., was in the middle of a service when a gunman entered. A livestream of the service remains ongoing during the situation. pic.twitter.com/dC5d6HKTLQ
— Jessika Harkay (@JessikaHarkay) January 15, 2022
According to a live stream of the regular Shabbat service held in the synagogue, which was online for some time before it abruptly stopped, the alleged perpetrator could be heard as being in emotional distress, "talking in circles, asking for his sister".
The man, armed with a currently unidentified weapon, claimed he was going to take his life "at the end of this", with social media reports suggesting he was speaking to someone on the phone.
"I'm going to die, are you listening?", the alleged suspect is heard saying. "I'm going to die doing this, alright? Are you listening? I'm going to die. Don't cry about me".
"You got to do something. I don't want to see this guy dead", he was also heard saying.
The face of the suspect could not be seen in the live stream footage. The authorities have yet to confirm his identity.
I caught the tail end before Facebook shut it down. pic.twitter.com/Ea3kuvd2tR
— Jessica Wright (@TripleJFamily) January 15, 2022
The FBI and the state's Department of Public Safety are reportedly involved in the police response.
According to The Dallas Morning News, Congregation Beth Israel began as a chavurah, or small group of Jewish people who congregate for prayer services, in 1998, according to its website. In July 1999, the group founded a synagogue in Colleyville, and services began in 2005 at its current location.
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