WNBC - TV: The NYPD Deploys Extra Police After Texas Hostage Calls NYC Rabbi; No Active Threat in City

NEW YORK CITY: Extra police have been deployed around New York City as a precaution after a rabbi held hostage at a Texas synagogue placed a phone call to a rabbi in the city to relay the suspect's demands, three senior law enforcement officials tell News 4.

The hostage taker is demanding the release his "sister," Aaifa Siddiqui, who is being held in a federal prison in Forth Worth, Texas. Federal officials have not been able to confirm the relationship between the hostage taker and Siddiqui, but are actively investigating whether they are siblings.

Siddiqui, 49, was convicted by a federal jury in 2010 of attempting to kill U.S. officers in Afghanistan.

A rabbi in New York City received a phone call from one of the hostages Saturday after multiple people in the Colleyville, Texas, synagogue were taken hostage. The rabbi reportedly relayed the suspect's demand to set Siddiqui free, prompting the rabbi in the city to contact local police.

The NYPD has deployed extra police to synagogues around the city as a precaution, including to the synagogue where the rabbi received the call, out of an abundance of caution. The officials said there was no known additional threat Saturday evening.

"The NYPD Intelligence Bureau and the Joint Terrorism Task Force are in close contact with local police and FBI officials in Texas," a statement from Mayor Eric Adams said. "I have been fully briefed by Police Commissioner Sewell and I’m confident we are taking the right steps."

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https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/nypd-deploys-ext…