Man Faces Weapons Charge in Texas Synagogue Standoff; investigations in UK continue but no charges

From the New York Times and the London Evening Standard

A man who sold the gun that was used in a standoff in which four people were held hostage at a Texas synagogue this month has been charged with a federal firearm crime, the authorities said on Wednesday.

Henry Williams, 32, who had previously been convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, was charged on Tuesday with being a felon in possession of a firearm, Chad E. Meacham, the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Texas, said in a statement.

Mr. Meacham said Mr. Williams, who is known as Michael, had sold a semiautomatic pistol to Malik Faisal Akram two days before Mr. Akram used it to take four people hostage inside Congregation Beth Israel of Colleyville,

Federal prosecutors said they had tied Mr. Williams to Mr. Akram, who lived in Blackburn in northern England, through an analysis of cellphone records showing that the two had exchanged calls in the days before the hostage situation. Mr. Williams confirmed that he had sold the gun to Mr. Akram at an intersection in south Dallas, the authorities said. He doesn’t sound like a jihadist – just a criminal. But somebody put them in touch in the first place.

Meanwhile in England

“Officers from Counter Terrorism Policing North West are continuing with their investigation following the events in Texas. They are working closely with and are supporting US law enforcement. As part of the local investigation, two men have been arrested this morning in Manchester. They remain in custody for questioning…”

Two men arrested in Birmingham and Manchester on January 20 as part of the same probe have been released from custody with no further action.  I did wonder about those two when the police asked for more time to question them. I hope they are being watched. It would still be relatively easy to slip to Pakistan where Tablighi Jamaat are powerful.