Hostages safe after standoff inside synagogue; captor dead

COLLEYVILLE, Texas (AP) - Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has tweeted that all hostages are safe after Saturday’s standoff inside a Dallas-area synagogue.

Abbott’s tweet Saturday night came not long after a loud bang and what sounded like gunfire was heard coming from the synagogue.

A law enforcement official told The Associated Press that the hostage-taker is dead. The suspect had taken four hostages at Congregation Beth Israel on Saturday morning.

Services at the synagogue were being live-streamed on Facebook before the feed cut out. There have been no reported injuries.

An official told the AP that the hostage-taker demanded the release of a Pakistani neuroscientist suspected of having ties to al-Qaida.

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