The UK’s Counter Terror Police detained two teenagers on Sunday evening in connection with the hostage-taking incident by a British national in a Texas synagogue over the weekend, the Greater Manchester Police said in a statement.
“Two teenagers were detained in South Manchester this evening. They remain in custody for questioning,” the Greater Manchester Police said in a statement.
Earlier, Assistant Chief Constable Dominic Scally for Counter Terror Policing North West confirmed that the suspect, who is deceased, is 44-year-old Malik Faisal Akram, originally from the Blackburn area of Lancashire.
“I can also confirm that Counter Terror Policing North West is assisting with the investigation being led by the US Authorities,” Scally said.
“Police forces in the region will continue to liaise with their local communities, including the Jewish community, and will put in place any necessary measures to provide reassurance to them, it added in the statement.
According to NBC News, a senior law enforcement official identified the two teenagers as the sons of Akram. The pair were reportedly detained by a UK law enforcement group known as Counter Terror Policing North West.
The official told NBC that Akram was in touch with his two sons at some point during the hostage situation on Saturday in Texas.
A 12-hour stand-off at the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue in Colleyville, Texas, ended in gunfire Saturday night with all four hostages released unharmed and the suspect dead, local police said.
The FBI’s field office in Dallas had earlier said there was “no indication” that anyone else was involved in the attack on the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue.
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