{"id":56423,"date":"2022-01-16T18:04:18","date_gmt":"2022-01-16T18:04:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2022\/01\/16\/synagogue-hostage-taker-demanded-release-of-jailed-pakistani-woman\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T10:12:23","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T10:12:23","slug":"synagogue-hostage-taker-demanded-release-of-jailed-pakistani-woman","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/2022\/01\/16\/synagogue-hostage-taker-demanded-release-of-jailed-pakistani-woman\/","title":{"rendered":"Synagogue hostage taker demanded release of jailed Pakistani woman"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

COLLEYVILLE, Texas \u2014 Authorities on Sunday identified a 44-year-old British national as the man who took four people hostage at a Texas synagogue for 10 hours<\/a> before an FBI SWAT team stormed the building, ending a tense standoff that President Joe Biden called \u201can act of terror.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Malik Faisal Akram was shot and killed after the last of the hostages got out at around 9 p.m. Saturday at Congregation Beth Israel near Fort Worth. In a statement, the FBI said there was no indication that anyone else was involved, but it didn\u2019t provide a possible motive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Akram could be heard ranting on a Facebook livestream of the services and demanding the release of a Pakistani neuroscientist who was convicted of trying to kill U.S. Army officers in Afghanistan. The FBI and police spokeswomen declined to answer questions Saturday night about who shot Akram when the standoff ended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Video from Dallas TV station WFAA<\/a> showed people running out a door of the synagogue, and then a man holding a gun opening the same door just seconds later before he turned around and closed it. Moments later, several rounds of gunfire could be heard, followed by the sound of an explosion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRest assured, we are focused,\u201d Biden said during a visit to a food pantry in Philadelphia on Sunday morning. \u201cThe attorney general is focused and making sure that we deal with these kinds of acts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FBI Special Agent in Charge Matt DeSarno said the hostage-taker was specifically focused on an issue not directly connected to the Jewish community, and there was no immediate indication that the man was part of any broader plan. But DeSarno said the agency\u2019s investigation \u201cwill have global reach.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It wasn\u2019t clear why Akram chose the synagogue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
FILE – In this July 17, 2008, file photo, Aafia Siddiqui, possible al-Qaida associate, is seen in the custody of Counter Terrorism Department of Ghazni province in Ghazni City, Afghanistan. (AP Photo\/ File)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Law enforcement officials who were not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation and who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity earlier said the hostage-taker demanded the release of Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist<\/a> suspected of having ties to al-Qaida who is in a federal prison in Texas. He also said he wanted to be able to speak with her, according to the officials, one of whom confirmed that the hostage-taker was a British national.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A rabbi in New York City received a call from the rabbi believed to be held hostage in the synagogue to demand Siddiqui\u2019s release, a law enforcement official said. The New York rabbi then called 911.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Police were first called to the synagogue around 11 a.m. and people were evacuated from the surrounding neighborhood soon after that, FBI Dallas spokeswoman Katie Chaumont said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Saturday\u2019s services were being livestreamed on the synagogue\u2019s Facebook page for a time. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported<\/a> that an angry man could be heard ranting and talking about religion at times during the livestream, which didn\u2019t show what was happening inside the synagogue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shortly before 2 p.m., the man said, \u201cYou got to do something. I don\u2019t want to see this guy dead.\u201d Moments later, the feed cut out. A spokesperson for Meta Platforms Inc., the corporate successor to Facebook Inc., later confirmed that Facebook had removed the video.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Multiple people heard the hostage-taker refer to Siddiqui as his \u201csister\u201d on the livestream. But John Floyd, board chair for the Houston chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, \u2014 the nation\u2019s largest Muslim advocacy group \u2014 said Siddiqui\u2019s brother, Mohammad Siddiqui, was not involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis assailant has nothing to do with Dr. Aafia, her family, or the global campaign to get justice for Dr. Aafia. We want the assailant to know that his actions are wicked and directly undermine those of us who are seeking justice for Dr. Aafia,\u201d said Floyd, who also is legal counsel for Mohammad Siddiqui. \u201cWe have confirmed that the family member being wrongly accused of this heinous act is not near the DFW Metro area.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Texas resident Victoria Francis told the AP that she watched about an hour of the livestream before it cut out. She said she heard the man rant against America and claim he had a bomb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe was just all over the map. He was pretty irritated and the more irritated he got, he\u2019d make more threats, like \u2018I\u2019m the guy with the bomb. If you make a mistake, this is all on you.\u2019 And he\u2019d laugh at that,\u201d she said. \u201cHe was clearly in extreme distress.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Francis, who grew up near Colleyville, tuned in after she read about the hostage situation. She said it sounded like the man was talking to the police department on the phone, with the rabbi and another person trying to help with the negotiations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Colleyville, a community of about 26,000 people, is about 15 miles (23 kilometers) northeast of Fort Worth. The synagogue is nestled among large houses in a leafy residential neighborhood that includes several churches, a middle and elementary school and a horse farm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Congregation Beth Israel is led by Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker, who has been there since 2006 as the synagogue\u2019s first full-time rabbi. He has worked to bring a sense of spirituality, compassion and learning to the community, according to his biography on the temple\u2019s website, and he loves welcoming everyone, including LGBT people, into the congregation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a Sunday morning post on what appears to be Cytron-Walker\u2019s Facebook page, the rabbi thanked law enforcement and first-responders, and security training \u201cthat helped save us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am grateful for my family. I am grateful for the CBI Community, the Jewish Community, the Human Community. I am grateful we made it out. I am grateful to be alive,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anna Salton Eisen, a founder and former president of the synagogue, said the congregation has about 140 members and that Cytron-Walker has worked hard to build interfaith relationships in the community, including doing pulpit swaps and participating in a community peace walk. She described Saturday\u2019s events as \u201csurreal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is unlike anything we\u2019ve ever experienced. You know, it\u2019s a small town and it\u2019s a small congregation,\u201d Eisen said as the hostage situation was ongoing. \u201cNo matter how it turns out, it\u2019s hard to fathom how we will all be changed by this, because surely we will be.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Joe Biden issued a statement thanking law enforcement<\/a> after the hostage situation ended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere is more we will learn in the days ahead about the motivations of the hostage taker. But let me be clear to anyone who intends to spread hate\u2014we will stand against anti-Semitism and against the rise of extremism in this country,\u201d Biden said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said on Twitter that he had been monitoring the situation closely. \u201cThis event is a stark reminder that antisemitism is still alive and we must continue to fight it worldwide,\u201d he wrote. He said he was \u201crelieved and thankful\u201d that the hostages were rescued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The standoff prompted increased security in other places, including New York City, where police said that they increased their presence \u201cat key Jewish institutions\u201d out of an abundance of caution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aafia Siddiqui earned advanced degrees from Brandeis University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology before she was sentenced in 2010 to 86 years in prison on charges that she assaulted and shot at U.S. Army officers after being detained in Afghanistan two years earlier. The punishment sparked outrage in Pakistan among political leaders and her supporters, who viewed her as victimized by the American criminal justice system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the years since, Pakistan officials have expressed interest publicly in any sort of deal or swap that could result in her release from U.S. custody, and her case has continued to draw attention from supporters. In 2018, for instance, an Ohio man who prosecutors say planned to fly to Texas and attack the prison where Siddiqui is being held in an attempt to free her was sentenced to 22 years in prison<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tucker and Balsamo reported from Washington, D.C.; Associated Press writers Jennifer McDermott in Providence, Rhode Island; Michael R. Sisak in New York; Holly Meyer in Nashville, Tenn.; Acacia Coronado in Austin, Texas; and Issac Scharf in Jerusalem contributed to this report.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Malik Faisal Akram was heard demanding the release of a Pakistani neuroscientist who was convicted of trying to kill U.S. Army officers in Afghanistan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":94318,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":12,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,22,23,89,12,26],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3266,1229,388],"class_list":["post-56423","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-disaster","category-home","category-middle-column","category-news","category-newsletters"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"5RPNG3UGLBG73HH3QXJKEO6F3Y","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/2022\/01\/16\/synagogue-hostage-taker-demanded-release-of-jailed-pakistani-woman\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"\nSynagogue hostage taker demanded release of jailed Pakistani woman - Navy Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Malik Faisal Akram was heard demanding the release of a Pakistani neuroscientist who was convicted of trying to kill U.S. Army officers in Afghanistan.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Synagogue hostage taker demanded release of jailed Pakistani woman\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Malik Faisal Akram was heard demanding the release of a Pakistani neuroscientist who was convicted of trying to kill U.S. Army officers in Afghanistan.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/2022\/01\/16\/synagogue-hostage-taker-demanded-release-of-jailed-pakistani-woman\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Navy Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-01-16T18:04:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T10:12:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jake Bleiberg, The Associated Press, Eric Tucker, The Associated Press, Michael Balsamo, The Associated Press\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jake Bleiberg, The Associated Press, Eric Tucker, The Associated Press, Michael Balsamo, The Associated Press\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t \"@graph\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/2022\\\/01\\\/16\\\/synagogue-hostage-taker-demanded-release-of-jailed-pakistani-woman\\\/#article\",\n\t \"isPartOf\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/2022\\\/01\\\/16\\\/synagogue-hostage-taker-demanded-release-of-jailed-pakistani-woman\\\/\"\n\t },\n\t \"author\": {\n\t \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t },\n\t \"headline\": \"Synagogue hostage taker demanded release of jailed Pakistani woman\",\n\t \"datePublished\": \"2022-01-16T18:04:18+00:00\",\n\t \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T10:12:23+00:00\",\n\t \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/2022\\\/01\\\/16\\\/synagogue-hostage-taker-demanded-release-of-jailed-pakistani-woman\\\/\"\n\t },\n\t \"wordCount\": 1402,\n\t \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t \"publisher\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t },\n\t \"image\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/2022\\\/01\\\/16\\\/synagogue-hostage-taker-demanded-release-of-jailed-pakistani-woman\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t },\n\t \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP22015858000935.jpg.jpg\",\n\t \"articleSection\": [\n\t \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t \"Disaster | Advertiser Safety\",\n\t \"Home\",\n\t \"Middle Column\",\n\t \"News\",\n\t \"Newsletters\"\n\t ],\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"potentialAction\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t \"target\": [\n\t \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/2022\\\/01\\\/16\\\/synagogue-hostage-taker-demanded-release-of-jailed-pakistani-woman\\\/#respond\"\n\t ]\n\t }\n\t ]\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/2022\\\/01\\\/16\\\/synagogue-hostage-taker-demanded-release-of-jailed-pakistani-woman\\\/\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/2022\\\/01\\\/16\\\/synagogue-hostage-taker-demanded-release-of-jailed-pakistani-woman\\\/\",\n\t \"name\": \"Synagogue hostage taker demanded release of jailed Pakistani woman - Navy Times\",\n\t \"isPartOf\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#website\"\n\t },\n\t \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/2022\\\/01\\\/16\\\/synagogue-hostage-taker-demanded-release-of-jailed-pakistani-woman\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t },\n\t \"image\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/2022\\\/01\\\/16\\\/synagogue-hostage-taker-demanded-release-of-jailed-pakistani-woman\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t },\n\t \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP22015858000935.jpg.jpg\",\n\t \"datePublished\": \"2022-01-16T18:04:18+00:00\",\n\t \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T10:12:23+00:00\",\n\t \"description\": \"Malik Faisal Akram was heard demanding the release of a Pakistani neuroscientist who was convicted of trying to kill U.S. Army officers in Afghanistan.\",\n\t \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/2022\\\/01\\\/16\\\/synagogue-hostage-taker-demanded-release-of-jailed-pakistani-woman\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t },\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"potentialAction\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t \"target\": [\n\t \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/2022\\\/01\\\/16\\\/synagogue-hostage-taker-demanded-release-of-jailed-pakistani-woman\\\/\"\n\t ]\n\t }\n\t ]\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/2022\\\/01\\\/16\\\/synagogue-hostage-taker-demanded-release-of-jailed-pakistani-woman\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP22015858000935.jpg.jpg\",\n\t \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP22015858000935.jpg.jpg\"\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/2022\\\/01\\\/16\\\/synagogue-hostage-taker-demanded-release-of-jailed-pakistani-woman\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t \"itemListElement\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t \"position\": 1,\n\t \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/\",\n\t \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t \"position\": 2,\n\t \"name\": \"News\",\n\t \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/\",\n\t \"ad_zone\": \"news\"\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t \"position\": 3,\n\t \"name\": \"Synagogue hostage taker demanded release of jailed Pakistani woman\"\n\t }\n\t ]\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#website\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/\",\n\t \"name\": \"Navy Times\",\n\t \"description\": \"Independent News For Sailors | Navy Times\",\n\t \"publisher\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t },\n\t \"potentialAction\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t \"target\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t },\n\t \"query-input\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t }\n\t }\n\t ],\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#organization\",\n\t \"name\": \"Navy Times\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/\",\n\t \"logo\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/navy-logo-white.png\",\n\t \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/navy-logo-white.png\",\n\t \"caption\": \"Navy Times\"\n\t },\n\t \"image\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t }\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t \"image\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t },\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t }\n\t ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Synagogue hostage taker demanded release of jailed Pakistani woman - Navy Times","description":"Malik Faisal Akram was heard demanding the release of a Pakistani neuroscientist who was convicted of trying to kill U.S. Army officers in Afghanistan.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Synagogue hostage taker demanded release of jailed Pakistani woman","og_description":"Malik Faisal Akram was heard demanding the release of a Pakistani neuroscientist who was convicted of trying to kill U.S. Army officers in Afghanistan.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/2022\/01\/16\/synagogue-hostage-taker-demanded-release-of-jailed-pakistani-woman\/","og_site_name":"Navy Times","article_published_time":"2022-01-16T18:04:18+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-08T10:12:23+00:00","author":"Jake Bleiberg, The Associated Press, Eric Tucker, The Associated Press, Michael Balsamo, The Associated Press","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Jake Bleiberg, The Associated Press, Eric Tucker, The Associated Press, Michael Balsamo, The Associated Press","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/2022\/01\/16\/synagogue-hostage-taker-demanded-release-of-jailed-pakistani-woman\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/2022\/01\/16\/synagogue-hostage-taker-demanded-release-of-jailed-pakistani-woman\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"Synagogue hostage taker demanded release of jailed Pakistani woman","datePublished":"2022-01-16T18:04:18+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T10:12:23+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/2022\/01\/16\/synagogue-hostage-taker-demanded-release-of-jailed-pakistani-woman\/"},"wordCount":1402,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/2022\/01\/16\/synagogue-hostage-taker-demanded-release-of-jailed-pakistani-woman\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP22015858000935.jpg.jpg","articleSection":["Daily News Roundup","Disaster | Advertiser Safety","Home","Middle Column","News","Newsletters"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/2022\/01\/16\/synagogue-hostage-taker-demanded-release-of-jailed-pakistani-woman\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/2022\/01\/16\/synagogue-hostage-taker-demanded-release-of-jailed-pakistani-woman\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/2022\/01\/16\/synagogue-hostage-taker-demanded-release-of-jailed-pakistani-woman\/","name":"Synagogue hostage taker demanded release of jailed Pakistani woman - Navy Times","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/2022\/01\/16\/synagogue-hostage-taker-demanded-release-of-jailed-pakistani-woman\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/2022\/01\/16\/synagogue-hostage-taker-demanded-release-of-jailed-pakistani-woman\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP22015858000935.jpg.jpg","datePublished":"2022-01-16T18:04:18+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T10:12:23+00:00","description":"Malik Faisal Akram was heard demanding the release of a Pakistani neuroscientist who was convicted of trying to kill U.S. Army officers in Afghanistan.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/2022\/01\/16\/synagogue-hostage-taker-demanded-release-of-jailed-pakistani-woman\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/2022\/01\/16\/synagogue-hostage-taker-demanded-release-of-jailed-pakistani-woman\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/2022\/01\/16\/synagogue-hostage-taker-demanded-release-of-jailed-pakistani-woman\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP22015858000935.jpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP22015858000935.jpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/2022\/01\/16\/synagogue-hostage-taker-demanded-release-of-jailed-pakistani-woman\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/","ad_zone":"news"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Synagogue hostage taker demanded release of jailed Pakistani woman"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/","name":"Navy Times","description":"Independent News For Sailors | Navy Times","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#organization","name":"Navy Times","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/navy-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/navy-logo-white.png","caption":"Navy Times"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Navy Times","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes","push-errors":false,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP22015858000935.jpg.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56423","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56423"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56423\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":56441,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56423\/revisions\/56441"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56423"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56423"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56423"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=56423"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}