A Texas man was charged with a federal gun crime after authorities say he sold a gun to a man who held four hostages inside a Texas synagogue this month before being fatally shot by the FBI,, the Associated Press reports. Henry “Michael” Williams, 32, was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm after authorities say he sold the weapon that Malik Faisal Akram used when he entered Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Tx., on Jan. 15 and held the synagogue’s rabbi and three others hostage for hours. Akram, a 44-year-old British citizen, held hostages in the Dallas-area suburb while demanding the release of a federal prisoner. None of the hostages was injured.
Prosecutors say Williams sold Akram a semi-automatic pistol on Jan. 13 — two days before the hostage-taking. Akram paid $150 for the gun. The charging documents say Williams was convicted in 2005 of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and attempted possession of a controlled substance in 2013. Williams told investigators that Akram told him he intended to use the gun to intimidate someone who owed an outstanding debt. Dallas police arrested Williams on an outstanding warrant Monday.