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Two men have been arrested as part of the investigation into a hostage standoff at a Texas synagogue in the US.
Malik Faisal Akram, 44, from Blackburn, Lancashire, was shot dead by police on Saturday after taking prisoners for 10 hours at the place of worship in Colleyville.
On Wednesday, authorities said two teenagers arrested in the UK on Tuesday night had been released without charge. But on Thursday, January 20, counterterrorism police said two men were arrested this morning in Birmingham and Manchester.
"Two men have been arrested this morning in Birmingham and Manchester," counter terrorism police said.
The suspects were held on Thursday morning in Manchester and Birmingham, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said.
The men, whose ages have not been released, are "in custody for questioning" and were held as part of an "ongoing investigation", GMP added.
The daylong siege at the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue in Colleyville, about 16 miles northeast of Fort Worth, Texas, ended in gunfire on Saturday night with all four hostages released unharmed and the death of the suspect.
An FBI team stormed the building and shot Akram dead, while all four hostages were released unharmed.
President Joe Biden called the incident an ‘act of terror’ and revealed Akram allegedly got his weapons ‘on the street’ after landing in the US.
He said: ‘I don’t have all the facts, nor does the attorney general – but allegedly the assertion was he got the weapons on the street.
‘He purchased them when he landed and it turns out there apparently were no bombs that we know of.
Apparently, he spent the first night in a homeless shelter. I don’t have all the details yet so I’m reluctant to go into much more detail.’
US officials believe Akram had a visa, arrived at John F Kennedy International Airport in New York around two weeks ago.
The attack was launched
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