NYPD: Rabbi Held Hostage In Texas Synagogue Reached Out To NYC Rabbi
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says the four people who were being held hostage at a synagogue Saturday "are out alive and safe."
A rabbi and at least three other hostages were initially believed to be inside the synagogue in Coneyville, Texas, a suburb in Dallas-Fort Worth.
An armed man interrupted a service Saturday morning, demanding the release of Aafia Siddiqui.
Siddiqui is a Pakistani woman serving an 86-year sentenced in Texas federal prison for trying to kill U.S. military officers in Afghanistan.
As the hostage situation unfolded, law enforcement in New York City learned that a local rabbi received a phone call from the rabbi who was being held hostage, the NYPD confirmed to CBS2.
Police say during the conversation, the two rabbis discussed Siddiqui's imprisonment. She was convicted in a New York federal court in 2010 with ties to al-Qaida.
Although no threats have been received, the NYPD has deployed the critical response command team to several Jewish houses of worship in the city.