Remarks by President Biden on the Hostage Situation at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas

Philabundance
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

11:58 A.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT:  Hey, folks.  With regard to Texas and the synagogue, I spoke this morning with the Attorney General and — to get a rundown.  He said there’s overwhelming cooperation with the local authorities and the FBI, and they did one hell of a job. 

This was an act of terror.  This was an act of terror.  And it not only was related to someone who had been arrested, I might add, 15 years ago and been in jail for 10 years — the idea that it was something new. 

And they did just a great job. 

I also told him that I wanted to make sure we got the word out to synagogues and places of worship that we’re not going to tolerate this, that we have this capacity to deal with the assaults on particularly the antisemitism that has grown up. 

And so — and I’ll be talking with — I put a call into the rabbi.  We missed one another on the way up here.  And — but they should rest assured that we are focused.  We are focused.  The Attorney General is focused.  I’m making sure that we deal with these kinds of acts. 

And thank God — thank God we have such a professional FBI, as well as — the local cooperation, I was told, was incredible.  It was seamless.  So, I just wanted to let you know that. 

Okay?

Q    Mr. President, how could this gentl- — how could this man have gotten weapons?  There’s reports that he’s only been in the country for a couple of —

THE PRESIDENT:  Well —

Q    — weeks. 

THE PRESIDENT:  — allegedly — I — we — I don’t have all the facts, nor does the Attorney General.  But, allegedly, the assertion was he got the weapons on the street.  He purchased them when he landed. 

And — and it turns out there apparently were no bombs that we know of.  That — you know, he said that there are bombs he has as well. 

But he — apparently, he spent the first night in a homeless shelter.  I don’t have all the detail yet, so I’m reluctant to go into more — much more detail. 

But — and, allegedly, he purchased it on the street.  Now what that means, I don’t know.  Whether he purchased it from an individual in a homeless shelter or a homeless community, or whether — because that’s where he said he was — it’s hard to tell.  I just don’t know.

Q    (Inaudible) ramifications for the push to — on — to ensure that guns are not available?

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, no — well, it does but it also doesn’t.  The guns are — we should be — the idea of background checks are critical.  But you can’t stop something like this if someone is on the street buying something from somebody else on the street.  Except that there’s too — there’s so many guns that have been sold of late; it’s just ridiculous. 

And it’s because of the failure of us to focus as hard as we should and as consistent as we should on gun purchases, gun sales, ghost guns, and a whole range of things that I’m trying to do.

Q    Mr. President, do you know more about the motivations of the person? 

THE PRESIDENT:  No, I don’t.  I — there’s speculation, but I’m not going to get into that.  I will — I’m going to have a press conference on Wednesday, and I’ll be happy to go into detail of what I know in detail at that time. 

Q    Do you know why he targeted that specific synagogue, Mr. President?

THE PRESIDENT:  Well, no, I don’t.  We don’t have — I don’t think there is sufficient information to know about why he targeted that synagogue or why he insisted on the release of someone who’s been in prison for over 10 years, why he was engaged — why he was using antisemitic and anti-Israeli comments.  I — we just don’t have enough facts. 

Thank you.

12:02 P.M. EST