LONDON: British police said on Thursday that they had arrested two people in connection with a hostage taking In a synagogue in Texas.
Counter Terrorism Police North West said one man was arrested on Thursday in Birmingham in central England and another in the northern English city of Manchester. He is being held for questioning and has not been charged yet.
The force said it was continuing to support US officials in the investigation into Saturday’s hostage incident. British citizen Malik Faisal Akram, 44, took four people hostage in a 10-hour standoff at a Texas synagogue that ended in his death. There was no harm to all four hostages.
Police did not provide details about the two people taken into custody on Thursday. British police do not release the names and descriptions of prisoners until they are charged. Police arrested British teenagers in Manchester on Sunday as part of an investigation. He was later released without charges.
Akram was from Blackburn, an industrial town in northwestern England. His family said that he was suffering from mental health issues.
Published in Dawn, January 21, 2022