FBI Reports Texas Synagogue Terrorism Not “Specifically Related to Jewish Community”
On January 16th, a Pakistani man held four Jewish people hostage for more than 10 hours at the Texas synagogue, Congregation Beth Israel. The terrorist could be heard demanding the release of a Pakistani neuroscientist convicted of trying to kill U.S. Army officers in Afghanistan. The FBI raised eyebrows when they reported the hostage-takers’ demands were not “specifically related to the Jewish community,”
The FBI must not understand the realities of antisemitism in the world today to simply brush off this event as nothing to do with the Jewish community. The reality is that Jewish people make up only 2% of the US population yet they face 60% of hate crimes committed in the United States. The FBI just simply glanced over the crimes that were committed toward the Jewish community. Let’s continue to lift up our Jewish friends in prayer.
Update: In a statement late Sunday night, the FBI backtracked and admitted the attack was ‘a terrorism-related matter, in which the Jewish community was targeted’. (source: The Times of Israel: https://www.timesofisrael.com/with-hostage-crisis-info-under-wraps-authorities-jewish-groups-get-messaging-mixed/)
For more from Chris, visit foiradio.org to listen to our weekly radio program, The Friends of Israel Today.
