HOUSTON, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- All hostages "are out alive and safe" after an hours-long standoff ended on Saturday night at a synagogue in south central U.S. state Texas, Governor Greg Abbott tweeted.
Colleyville police confirmed the information just before 10 p.m. local time (0400 GMT on Sunday).
At least four hostages, including a rabbi, were taken earlier on Saturday at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, just outside Fort Worth. No injuries were reported among the hostages, one of whom was released earlier in the evening.
The hostage-taker required the release of Aafia Siddiqui, who was sentenced in 2010 to 86 years in prison for the assault and attempted murder of U.S. officers in Afghanistan, local media reported.
Siddiqui is incarcerated in federal prison in Fort Worth, Texas. The relationship between the hostage taker and the prisoner is unclear, said the reports. ■