By Sarah N. Lynch

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – The U.S. Justice Department filed criminal charges against a person for allegedly selling a gun to another man who later took hostages at a synagogue near Colleyville in Texas.

Henry “Michael” Williams, 32, is charged in a complaint with being a felon in possession of a firearm. His initial appearance was before a Federal Judge on Wednesday. He is being held in detention pending his trial, which will take place on Jan. 31, according to the government.

After being invited inside to have tea, British-born gunman Malik Faisal Akram held four hostages at Congregation Beth Israel on Jan. 15.

They were held hostage by the suspect for 10 hours as he brandished his gun. Gunfire broke out, and all four hostages were freed unharmed. The suspect was also killed.

Akram asked for contact with a Jewish leader in New York and requested that FBI negotiators release Aafia Syediqui who was serving an 86 year sentence in a Fort Worth federal prison, Texas, for terrorist offenses.

According to the Justice Department, Williams was convicted of attempted possession and aggravated assault using a deadly weapon.

On Jan. 13, Akram was accused of buying a Taurus G2C semi-automatic pistol from him. Federal agents recovered the handgun two days later from the site of hostage crisis.

The complaint claims that agents tracked Williams through his cellphone records.

He said he had once met a British man but couldn’t remember his name.

In an interview, Akram confirmed the sale of the gun to Akram and told him that the gun was being used as “intimidation” in order to collect money from someone who owed him.

Williams informed the agents that he had sold Akram the firearm for $150.

The complaint states that Williams told the agents during the custodial interview on January 24, 2022 that he didn’t know he could possess a firearm, and that he also knew that Akram had illegally sold the gun.