On Saturday, a gunman took Jewish worshipers’ hostage at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas. The hostage-crisis lasted 11 hours, before all the hostages escaped unharmed and law enforcement neutralized the alleged gunman. An FBI statement called the standoff “a terrorism-related matter, in which the Jewish community was targeted.” This incident demonstrates the enduring influence of transnational terror networks and the importance of security training.
The gunman, Malik Faisal Akram, a British citizen, arrived in the U.S. roughly two weeks ago and likely purchased a gun off the street when he first arrived, according to the U.S. government. During the crisis, Akram demanded the release of Pakistani scientist Aafiya Siddiqui, being held in the U.S. on multiple terrorism charges and who is sometimes referred to as “Lady al Qa’ida.”
At the time of this writing, it is still unclear if he coordinated his activities with other transnational terrorists or rather acted alone and was influenced to violence by terrorist propaganda. According to the gunman’s family, the suspect had a history of mental illness. On Sunday, British police took two teenagers into custody in connection with the standoff, and security footage at a Dallas-based homeless shelter where the gunman stayed shows him interacting with an unknown individual that he appeared to know well. Still, the FBI stated there was no early indication that anyone else was involved in the hostage-taking. Additional details regarding Akram’s international connections will likely emerge over the course of the investigation. This incident “highlights that formal and informal global networks that foster jihadist extremism and promote violence remain intact,” according to the Soufan Center.
In addition, this crisis underscores the importance of organizations conducting security preparedness training. The Rabbi of Congregation Beth Israel, Charlie Cytron-Walker, noted the valuable skills he and his congregation learned during multiple security training sessions. “We are alive today because of that education," Cytron-Walker said. "I encourage all Jewish congregations, religious groups, schools, and others to participate in active-shooter and security courses. Without the instruction we received, we would not have been prepared to act and flee when the situation presented itself.” At the climax of the standoff, the rabbi threw a chair at the gunman and ran out of the building safely with the rest of the hostages.
WaterISAC highly encourages water and wastewater utilities conduct security training courses. One possible option, which WaterISAC has previously reported on, is risk management company Gate 15’s Hostile Events Preparedness Series (HEPS). The series provides attendees with the skills needed to recognize types of hostile events, to better prepare for and react to an event; identify indicators of potential violence to possibly avert a hostile event from occurring; identify the phases of a hostile event; and provide mitigation strategies to help develop a training program for your organization. Additionally, WaterISAC has shared resources from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the FBI, including information and tools to address the active shooter threat. Read more at the Soufan Center and at the Washington Post.
