A Texas SWAT team responded Saturday afternoon to reports of a possible hostage situation at a synagogue near Dallas.
UPDATE
COLLEYVILLE
The FBI and local police said at a news conference Saturday night that three hostages who were held in a Colleyville synagogue for nearly 11 hours are unharmed and the hostage-taker is dead after a hostage rescue team breached the building.
Authorities said the hostage-taker was killed in a shooting but did not answer a question about whether he was shot by law enforcement or if the gunshot was self-inflicted. The man claimed to have explosives, according to statements he made on livestreamed video, but police have not commented on whether any weapons were found.
Exclusive video taken by WFAA-TV photographer Josh Stephen shows at least some of the hostages running out of a door at the synagogue just before FBI agents enter the building. The footage, shot just before 9:15 p.m., shows a man who appears to be holding a gun following the hostages as they escape, then almost immediately going back inside.
A Texas SWAT team responded Saturday afternoon to a hostage situation at a synagogue near Fort Worth.
The Colleyville Police Department said on Twitter that they are conducting SWAT operations “around the 6100 block of Pleasant Run Rd.”
All residents in the immediate area of the incident are being evacuated, according to the tweet.
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The Congregation Beth Israel’s address is 6100 Pleasant Run Rd.
Congregation Beth Israel. (Credit: Google Maps) (Credit: Google Maps)
The police department posted an additional update at 1:20 p.m. stating that the situation is ongoing and advised individuals to avoid the area.
According to ABC News, the rabbi and three others are being held hostage at the synagogue.
In a statement, Colleyvile Police Department Sargeant Dara Nelson said that their department received a call for service at 10:41 a.m.
Currently, the Colleyvile Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Field Office, the Texas Department of Public Safety, North Tarrant Regional SWAT Team, and other neighboring agencies are on the scene of the incident.
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Law enforcement officials have confirmed that no injuries are currently reported, and Federal Bureau of Investigation crisis negotiators are in communication with the subject of the incident, according to the statement.
One male hostage was released with no injuries shortly after 5:00 p.m., according to Nelson.
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