A man was arrested on January 26 for allegedly selling a gun to the terrorist behind the Colleyville, TX hostage crisis.
The man, identified as 32-year-old Henry “Michael” Williams, reportedly told FBI agents that he sold a semiautomatic Taurus G2C pistol to Malik Faisal Akram, 44, on January 13, two days before the crisis took place. Williams is also believed to have told the FBI that Akram said he was going to use the gun to coerce someone who owed him money. Williams has a prior record of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in 2005 and attempted possession of a controlled substance in 2013.
“Federal firearm laws are designed to keep guns from falling into dangerous hands,” U.S. Attorney Chad E. Meachem said in a statement. “As a convicted felon, Mr. Williams was prohibited from carrying, acquiring, or selling firearms. Whether or not he knew of his buyer’s nefarious intent is largely irrelevant — felons cannot have guns, period, and the Justice Department is committed to prosecuting those who do.”
Williams appeared in court in January 26 and will have a detention hearing on January 31.
BREAKING – the Dept. of Justice has charged Henry "Michael" Williams (left) with selling the gun Malik Faisal Akram (right) used to hold the Colleyville, TX synagogue hostage for nearly 11 hours.
Williams had previously been convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. pic.twitter.com/VOmwERvcE0
— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) January 26, 2022
Two men were also arrested in Manchester on January 26 in connection to the hostage crisis but have not been charged with anything.
Manchester Police announce the arrest of two additional men in connection with the #ColleyvilleSynagogue hostage takeover in Texas. https://t.co/x9ZxFW5cxG pic.twitter.com/VF0o2dYDhx
— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) January 26, 2022
Akram held four people hostage at Congregation Beth Israel on January 15, including the synagogue’s rabbi, Charlie Cytron-Walker. After 11 hours, the hostages escaped unharmed after Cytron-Walker threw a chair at Akram. Akram was subsequently killed in a firefight with the FBI. Akram held the four men hostage because he was hoping to free Pakistani neuroscientist Dr. Aafia Siddiqui, who is serving an 86-year prison sentence in a Forth Worth prison. Siddiqui, known as the “Lady of Al-Qaeda,” was convicted in 2010 for attempting to kill United States soldiers and FBI agents in Afghanistan.
