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House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy accused the Biden administration of “downplaying” a “terrorist attack within our borders” following a deadly hostage standoff at a Texas synagogue over the weekend.
“Over the past 48 hours, President Biden’s Justice Department has gone from denying the clear and religious, anti-Semitic implications of this attack to now backtracking to what we all already knew to be true,” the California Republican said in a Tuesday statement, explaining the actions of the Biden administration’s response to the synagogue standoff.
The confrontation left the hostage-taker, a Muslim British immigrant named Malik Faisal Akram, dead, and several hostages unharmed.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., responds to reporters at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Dec. 3, 2021, about the behavior of Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., and her repeated “anti-Muslim” attacks against Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn.
(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
LINDSEY GRAHAM CALLS TEXAS SYNAGOGUE HOSTAGE SITUATION PART OF A ‘RELIGIOUS WAR’
According to McCarthy’s statement, the Biden administration needs to explain:
- Why were Biden officials downplaying terrorist attacks within our borders?
- Why did the FBI initially disregard the role antisemitism played in this hostage situation?
- What indications were missed in the lead-up to this attack because resources were redirected to other areas?
- How was it that someone with an apparent criminal record and suspicious travel history was allowed into the United States to begin with?
- What national security concerns remain?
McCarthy called on the administration to “answer” for how this case has “already been mishandled” and “provide a clear strategy on how they plan to continue to investigate the outstanding terror threats.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A woman speaks on the phone near the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue on Jan. 15, 2022 in Colleyville, Texas. Police responded to a hostage situation after reports of a man with a gun was holding people captive at the synagogue.
(Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
A Texas SWAT team responded to Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas, on Saturday after Akram allegedly entered the building and held four people, including a rabbi, hostage for hours. While no hostages were killed, Akram was heard demanding the release of a Pakistani national in prison for trying to kill U.S. troops in Afghanistan and who was dubbed “Lady al-Qaida.”
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A law enforcement vehicle sits in front of the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue on January 16, 2022 in Colleyville, Texas.
(Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
The Telegraph reported that in 2001, Akram was banned from a magistrates court after he told an usher he wished the official had died in the 9/11 attacks just months earlier. The outlet also reported that Akram had spent three stints in prison, was a regular visitor to Pakistan and is believed to have been a member of Tablighi Jamaat — a radical Islamist organization banned in Saudi Arabia.
The Times of London reported that Akram visited Pakistan twice in 2020 and was investigated by British intelligence agency MI5 for four weeks after concerns were raised about his behavior. Crucially, agents determined that there was no reason to elevate the investigation to a full inquiry, and the case was dropped.
As a result, Akram was reportedly free to travel to the U.S. Investigators also told the Times that he lied on his visa waiver about past criminal activity.
Fox News’ Adam Shaw and Adam Sabes contributed to this report.
