FBI Claims Attack on Synagogue 'Not Specifically Related to Jewish Community'
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) claimed Saturday that an attack and hostage-taking by an armed Islamic terrorist at a synagogue near Dallas, Texas, was “not specifically related to the Jewish community,” prompting criticism online.
The terrorist burst into the sanctuary during a Sabbath service at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas, and took several members of the community hostage, including the rabbi, before being killed by the FBI in a raid Saturday evening.
As Breitbart News reported:
During a press conference later that night, FBI Special Agent in Charge Matthew DeSarno said the rescue came as the result of “a long, long day of hard work by nearly 200 law enforcement officers from across the region.”
DeSarno said the FBI has identified the now-deceased suspect but said they were not prepared to release his identity Saturday night. He also would not go into the details of the hostage-taker’s motivation.
“We do believe that, from engaging with the subject, he was singularly focused on one issue and it was not specifically related to the Jewish community,” he added. “We will continue to work to find motives and we will continue on that path in terms of the resolution of the incident.”
Many found that claim hard to believe:
Synagogue a totally random target?
Nobody believes this. Nobody. https://t.co/3BSnH8KWqs— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) January 16, 2022
A Muslim terrorist travels to a Synagogue on the Sabbath and takes a Rabbi and three other Jews hostage, while demanding the release of a convicted Antisemitic terrorist.
Sorry @AP but I'm pretty sure that it's DIRECTLY connected to the Jewish community.
— Joel M. Petlin (@Joelmpetlin) January 16, 2022
The terrorist had demanded the release of Aafia Siddiqui, also known as “Lady Al-Qaeda,” a convicted Islamic terrorist who had tried to kill U.S. soldiers.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the recent e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. His recent book, RED NOVEMBER, tells the story of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary from a conservative perspective. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
