(Washington) Law enforcement in a small town in Texas, United States, were negotiating on Saturday with a man who appeared to have taken several people hostage at a synagogue, according to police and local media.
Posted at 3:42 p.m.
Police in Colleyville, near Dallas, said late morning that an intervention force operation was underway at an address corresponding to the synagogue of Congregation Beth Israel.
The voice of an agitated man at times could be heard on the broadcast of the religious service live on Facebook, consulted by AFP.
“I am going to die,” said this man of unknown identity, who repeatedly asked an unidentified interlocutor for his sister to be on the phone.
“The negotiators have contacted this person and are working to get a safe outcome,” Colleyville Police Sergeant Dara Nelson, the alleged hostage taker, told the newspaper. The Dallas Morning News.
The number of people in the synagogue was not known, the sergeant said.
Police said they are evacuating nearby residents.
The incident was still ongoing as of 1:20 p.m. local time (2:20 p.m. ET), police said later, asking the public to avoid the area.
The live broadcast, cut off at 1:50 p.m. (2:50 p.m. ET), showed only a lectern, with those inside the synagogue standing out of frame.
Asked by AFP, the local authorities did not immediately respond.