U.K. aware of ‘death of a British man in Texas’ after synagogue standoff ends

A spokesperson for the U.K.'s Foreign Office said successful a connection to The Washington Post, “We are alert of the decease of a British antheral successful Texas and are successful interaction with the section authorities.”

Colleyville Police Chief Michael Miller and Matthew DeSarno, the peculiar cause successful complaint of the FBI Dallas tract office, declined astatine a quality league aft the standoff’s decision to stock much accusation astir the individuality of the suspect, saying an probe with “global reach” is underway. London’s Metropolitan Police and different U.K. authorities are moving intimately with their U.S. counterparts connected the U.S.-led investigation.

Officials said Saturday that the man, whose sanction has not yet been released, was “deceased” but did not accidental whether helium had been killed by instrumentality enforcement oregon had killed himself.

Stacey Silverman, who has been a subordinate of the Congregation Beth Israel for 13 years and watched arsenic the hostages were taken portion the work was being live-streamed, said the fishy could beryllium heard saying that helium had flown to the country from 5,000 miles distant — and that helium chose a synagogue due to the fact that the United States “only cares astir Jewish lives.”

A instrumentality enforcement authoritative who spoke connected the information of anonymity to sermon the probe said the man’s motive for taking hostages appeared to beryllium his choler implicit the U.S. imprisonment of Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani pistillate being held successful national situation successful Fort Worth for trying to termination U.S. soldiers. Siddiqui was convicted connected coercion charges successful 2010 and sentenced to 86 years successful situation aft opening occurrence connected Americans.

The synagogue attack, which began astir 11 a.m. Saturday section time, has shaken the Jewish assemblage some successful the United States and astir the world, with galore Jews voicing concerns for their safety.

“Our sanctuaries are inactive the people of those who privation to harm us,” Hen Mazzig, a elder chap astatine the Tel Aviv Institute, a nonprofit dedicated to probe and tackling antisemitic hatred code online, told The Post connected Sunday.

On Sunday, the rabbi of the synagogue, located successful the suburb of Fort Worth and Dallas expressed gratitude and alleviation that helium and the others hostages were safe.

“I americium thankful and filled with appreciation for each of the vigils and prayers and emotion and support,” Charlie Cytron-Walker wrote successful a station connected a Facebook relationship that 2 Jewish assemblage leaders confirmed arsenic his. “I americium grateful that we made it out. I americium grateful to beryllium alive.”

Cytron-Walker, primitively from Lansing, Mich., has a agelong vocation of moving for societal and humanitarian causes. He antecedently worked astatine a civilian and quality rights enactment successful Detroit and aboriginal arsenic an adjunct manager of a halfway successful Amherst, Mass., that provides nutrient and different services to those successful need, according to a biography posted connected the congregation’s website.

At Congregation Beth Israel, helium has worked to bring “a consciousness of spirituality, compassion, and learning” to the community, welcoming anyone “from interfaith families to LGBT individuals and families to those seeking to find a spiritual location successful Judaism,” the website says.

Cytron-Walker did not instantly respond to a petition for comment.

Gary Zola, a prof astatine Cincinnati-based Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, recalled the days erstwhile a younger Cytron-Walker was his student.

“Charlie was memorable successful a mode that fewer radical are,” Zola said. “He had a acquisition of being benignant to everybody. He took to bosom the Reform Jewish thought that we are meant to physique bridges.”

Before becoming Congregation Beth Israel’s archetypal full-time rabbi successful 2006, Cytron-Walker received his rabbinical enactment successful Cincinnati, wherever helium was an intern astatine a section temple.

“They inactive retrieve him,” Zola said, adding that helium received a flurry of disquieted calls Saturday, a testament of however Cytron-Walker “touched the hearts of radical everyplace helium went.”

Annabelle Timsit, Souad Mekhennet, Bryan Pietsch and Maria Paul contributed to this report.