Senators press Biden on how Texas synagogue terrorist was allowed into U.S.

Both U.S. Senators from Texas joined their peers in the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday to demand an explanation from the Biden administration how a British terrorist who held four hostages at a Texas synagogue was allowed to enter the country from Great Britain, given his criminal record.

Sens. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Ted Cruz (R-TX), along with the nine other Republican committee members, signed onto a letter asking Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and State Secretary Antony Blinken how Malik Faisal Akram was not on any U.S. government watch lists or barred from entry and questioned its ability to screen incoming travelers.

“In light of the numerous red flags in Akram’s record, we are extremely concerned about the adequacy of our visa adjudication and admission screening protocols. As Akram’s own brother told reporters: ‘How had he gotten into America? … Why was he granted a visa? How did he land at J.F.K. airport and not get stopped for one second?’” the letter asks.

The committee members also sent a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray asking if the agency considered Akram to be a jihadist or Islamist fundamentalist terror threat. 

Akram had been the subject of a “mid-level” investigation by British intelligence as a possible Islamist terror threat in 2020. However, intelligence officers concluded Akram posted no threat and closed the investigation.

The British man likely traveled to the U.S. under the Visa Waiver Program, facing less screening and vetting than a visa or green card recipient would because England is one of 40 countries the U.S. considers a less national security threat.

The letter to the Biden secretaries demands answers and documents related to Akram’s arrival into the U.S. by Feb. 8, including his A-File, or “Alien File,” any visas he held, and the date he was admitted into the country. The Associated Press reported Akram entered through John F. Kennedy International Airport on a tourist visa around New Year’s Day, but the exact date is still unknown to the public.

Akram was killed by authorities on Jan. 15 after the four hostages managed to escape. He had demanded the release of an Islamist terrorist being held in a Texas prison for attempted murder and armed assault of U.S. troops in Afghanistan.