All hostages held in a Texas synagogue released, Police Respond To Hostage Situation At Texas Synagogue

The governor of the US state of Texas announced the release of all hostages held at a Colleville synagogue.

Police had reported that four people, including a rabbi, were being held at a Colleville synagogue by a person and that FBI agents were communicating with the suspect.

ABC News reported, citing an informed source, that the hostage-taker is armed and claims to have bombs in other locations.

The state's public prosecutor said he was trying to verify information that the suspect was the brother of a female detainee convicted of terrorism, Afia Siddiqui.

The American newspaper, "Fort Worth Star-Telegram", reported that a team of rapid intervention police surrounded the building, and asked the residents of the area to evacuate the neighboring houses, and that the team negotiated with the man holding the hostages.

According to the newspaper, the beginning of the incident was filmed live on Facebook, when the gunman entered and started shouting about religious matters (which she did not explain).

In turn, the American "The Daily Beast" website said that the live broadcast continued for a period of time, without being able to see anyone in the place, but a voice of a man with a British accent was heard threatening to shoot anyone who interfered.

And ABC News, quoting an unidentified source, reported that the suspect is holding a rabbi and 3 other hostages in a synagogue in Colleyville, about 40 kilometers west of Dallas, the capital of Texas.

The channel also quoted an American official familiar with the matter, that the man claims to be the brother of Aafia Siddiqui, whom American newspapers dubbed "the lady of al-Qaeda", and is demanding the release of his sister from prison.

In 2010, a New York court sentenced a Pakistani woman, Afia Siddiqui, to 86 years in prison for attempting to kill US soldiers in Afghanistan. The case sparked protests in Pakistan.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott described the situation as "tense," while Republican Senator Ted Cruz said he was "watching the situation closely."

White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said - in a tweet - that US President Joe Biden is monitoring the situation, and that communications are established between members of the national security team and that they are in contact with the leadership of the security institutions.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett also said he was monitoring the situation, and his foreign minister, Yair Lapid, indicated that Israel's consul in Houston, Livia Link, was on her way to the site, tweeting in Hebrew "Our thoughts and prayers are with our brothers and sisters being held hostage at a Texas synagogue." .