Four hostages who were being held at a Texas synagogue by a man demanding the release of a Pakistani neuroscientist have been released unharmed, with the hostage-taker reportedly killed.
Colleyville Police Department tweeted on Saturday afternoon it was conducting Swat operations at an address at Congregation Beth Israel, north-east of Fort Worth after the hostage-taker was heard demanding the release of Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist suspected of having ties to al-Qaeda.
Siddiqui, who was convicted of trying to kill US military officers while in custody in Afghanistan, is in federal prison in Texas.
He also said he wanted to be able to speak with her as he held four hostages, including a rabbi and other worshippers, captive inside the synagogue where the services were being livestreamed.
One male hostage was initially released and returned to his family uninjured before the remaining hostages were freed and the 10-hour stand-off eventually came to an end at around 10.30pm local time with suspect shot and killed, according to local reports.
"Prayers answered. All hostages are out alive and safe," Texas governor, Greg Abbott, tweeted on Saturday evening.
Colleyville Police Department said in a statement on Twitter: "The SWAT situation in Colleyville is resolved and all hostages are safe. We continue to work in partnership with the FBI to finalize all details."
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