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By Matthew Impelli
Life & Trends Reporter
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The man who allegedly sold the gun to the suspect accused of holding several people hostage at a Texas synagogue was previously convicted of a felony, according to federal officials.
In a press release on Wednesday, the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Northern District of Texas named 32-year-old Henry "Michael" Williams as the man suspected of selling the gun to the hostage-taker, identified as Malik Faisal Akram.
The press release said that Williams "was charged Tuesday via criminal complaint with being a felon in possession of a firearm."
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"According to the complaint, Mr. Williams—a felon previously convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and attempted possession of a controlled substance—allegedly sold Mr. Akram a semiautomatic Taurus G2C pistol on Jan. 13," the press release said.
The same pistol that Williams allegedly sold to Akram was recovered at Colleyville's Congregation Beth Israel synagogue, where several individuals were held hostage earlier this month.
"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," U.S. Attorney Chad E. Meacham said.
FBI agents tied Williams with Akram through cellphone records and while speaking with federal agents, Williams said that he recalled meeting a man with a British accent, the press release said. During a second interview with federal agents, Williams was shown a picture of Akram, who is a British citizen, and confirmed that it was the same man he sold the gun to, according to authorities.
"Mr. Williams allegedly admitted to officers that Mr. Akram told him the gun was going to be used for 'intimidation' to get money from someone with an outstanding debt," the press release said.
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Earlier this month, the Colleyville Police Department said that they were responding to the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue following reports that a man was holding several people hostage.
"Update at 9:55pm: The SWAT situation in Colleyville is resolved and all hostages are safe. We continue to work in partnership with the FBI to finalize all details. We will be addressing the media staging area at Good Shepherd Catholic Church at 10:15pm with an update," police said in a tweet on January 15.
Authorities announced that Akram was killed in a shooting shortly after the hostage situation was resolved.
Law enforcement sources confirmed that Akram was calling for the release of Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani scientist that was jailed for attempting to kill a U.S. Army soldier in 2010.
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