Malik Faisal Akram 'Got Agitated' At Islamic Center Days Before Taking Hostages At Synagogue
IRVING, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - New revelations Tuesday night about how a terrorist spent his time in DFW before he held four members of a Colleyville synagogue hostage at gunpoint until they escaped after an 11-hour ordeal.
The staff at the Islamic Center of Irving said they had an uncomfortable encounter with Malik Faisal Akram just a few days before the synagogue attack.
The leadership there believes their place of worship narrowly avoided becoming a target as well.
"He came in and he did his prayers and then asked if he could spend the night in the mosque," said Khalid Hamideh about Akram.
Hamideh, the spokesman for the center, said Akram became angry when he was told he could not spend the night there.
"He got a little agitated saying 'you're not helping out a fellow brother in the faith' and all that stuff," said Hamideh. "When he did get agitated he was shown the door and left."
Akram spent at least one night in this nearby Irving motel.
Before that, he stayed at the Our Calling Homeless Center in Dallas where an image from a security camera video showed him checking in.
He was dropped off there by someone authorities would like to talk to.
"He was dropped off by an individual, we saw him get out of a car, they had one on one conversations in the parking lot, but then they actually came into the building together and had conversations inside and then finally when the other guy departed they gave each other a hug," said Wayne Walker, the CEO of Our Calling.
There are still days in DFW that Akram is unaccounted for that authorities are working to piece together including where he got his handgun.
The Islamic Center of Irving worries he may have had that gun hidden with him during his visit there and feels fortunate that he walked away.
"He had like a man purse with him and God knows if he had the gun with him already and thank God that he didn't shoot anybody or do anything bad at our place," said Hamideh. "I'm shocked that he did not do something like this at our mosque because they said he was really agitated the first day."
The Islamic Center of Irving says it supports the Beth Israel synagogue and has had a longstanding relationship with its members and its rabbi.
