Texas hostage-taker Malik Faisal Akram had been a profitable British businessman — till his life fell aside on the finish of his 12-year marriage, based on his brother.
The 44-year-old Brit, who was shot useless on the finish of Saturday’s 10-hour synagogue siege, ran a thriving chain of pharmacies in England named after his then-wife, Farzana, his brother Gulbar told The Times of London.
However Akram misplaced all of them after his marriage broke down in 2016 — the identical yr that he was first flagged as a possible terrorism threat, based on the UK paper.
“He was bitter as a result of he felt like she took the whole lot away from him once they cut up up, particularly his youngsters,” Gulbar stated of the couple’s six children.
Akram was additionally enraged that his spouse left after he had helped her household go “from rags to riches,” even shopping for them “the second-best mansion” of their Pakistan village, the 43-year-old brother stated.
He additionally “paid for all her brothers to get jobs overseas and paid for her father’s most cancers medication and coverings,” Gulbar stated.
In Could 2016, Akram was given a 28-day home violence safety order at a magistrates’ court docket, The Occasions stated, citing court docket papers.
He additionally appeared to turn into extra extremist in his Islamic views, and that very same yr was first reported to “Stop,” a UK counter-terrorism program.
Akram was additionally investigated by British intelligence service MI5 in 2020, however was not deemed a risk on the time — leaving him free to fly to New York on Dec. 29, shopping for a gun after which taking hostages on the synagogue in suburban Dallas, the UK paper stated.
He had called Gulbar during the siege, saying throughout a vile anti-Semitic rant that he was looking for martyrdom and would come “house in a f–king physique bag.”
He had additionally demanded the discharge of Pakistani neuroscientist Aafia Siddiqui, who was convicted in Manhattan Federal Court docket in 2010 of trying to kill US authorities in Afghanistan. She is being held in jail in Fort Price.
Akram was shot by brokers who stormed Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville after the hero rabbi threw a chair at him. The rabbi and his three congregants all escaped unhurt.
The UK paper stated it was unable to succeed in Akram’s ex-wife for remark.
