British police said Wednesday they were holding two more men in connection with an armed hostage-taking at a Texas synagogue by a man from northwest England, French news agency AFP reported.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
Malik Faisal Akram from Blackburn took four people, including a rabbi, hostage at the synagogue in Colleyville in January. He was shot dead by the FBI after a 10-hour siege during which he demanded the release of a female Al-Qaeda supporter imprisoned for attempted murder.
He eventually released his hostages unharmed.
In Britain, the Counter-Terrorism Policing force for northwest England said it arrested two men in the city of Manchester.
"They remain in custody for questioning," the force said in a statement.
The arrests bring the number of people held by British police over the hostage-taking to six, which renewed concern over a spike in antisemitic attacks on both sides of the Atlantic.
Police are already questioning three men in Manchester and another in the central English city of Birmingham.
Akram had planned the attack for at least two years, wanting to die as a "martyr," according to audio of his last phone call with his brother released by the London-based Jewish Chronicle newspaper.
Meanwhile, authorities in Texas announced the arrest of a man who they said sold Akram a semi-automatic Taurus G2C pistol two days before the synagogue attack.
The FBI said they had linked Henry "Michael" Williams to Akram through phone records and that Williams confirmed that he had sold the gun to Akram.
Williams, 32, has a record of convictions on assault, weapons, and drug-related charges.
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
"As a convicted felon, Mr. Williams was prohibited from carrying, acquiring, or selling firearms," federal prosecutor Chad Meacham said in a statement.
"Whether or not he knew of his buyer's nefarious intent is largely irrelevant -- felons cannot have guns, period," Meacham said.
i24NEWS contributed to this report.
