Biden says there was not sufficient information on why the gunman had targeted the synagogue.
US President Joe Biden has condemned a hostage-taking at a synagogue in Texas as an "act of terrorism".
Biden made the remarks on Sunday in Philadelphia, where he and first lady Jill Biden were packing carrots and apples at a food bank in a visit to the city to honour the legacy of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.
"This was an act of terror; it was an act of terror," said Biden, adding that there was not sufficient information on why the gunman had targeted the synagogue.
“The idea of background checks are critical, but you can't stop something like this if someone’s on the streets buying something from somebody else on the streets," he added.
The FBI identified the hostage taker as British citizen Malik Faisal Akram, 44, who was killed after the safe release of his four hostages on Saturday night.
Britain's Foreign Minister Liz Truss also condemned the incident as an "act of terrorism and anti-semitism".
"My thoughts are with the Jewish community and all those affected by the appalling act in Texas," Truss posted on Twitter.
READ MORE: Texas synagogue suspect killed, issue not connected to Jewish community
Hostage taker probe
An FBI Hostage Rescue Team on Saturday night stormed Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, ending a 10-hour standoff with police by the gunman, who disrupted a Sabbath service and took the rabbi and three other people hostage.
The four hostages – including a respected local rabbi, Charlie Cytron-Walker – were all released unharmed Saturday night.
Police did not say whether the assault team killed the man or whether he killed himself.
"We'll investigate the hostage taker and his contact," FBI special agent Matt DeSarno told reporters in the small Texas town of Colleysville after the climactic end of the standoff.
"We'll have global reach. We have been in contact with multiple FBI leads to include Tel Aviv and London."
ABC reported the man was demanding the release of Aafia Siddiqui – a Pakistani scientist who in 2010 was sentenced by a New York court to 86 years in prison for the attempted murder of US officers in Afghanistan.
In a statement to CNN, Siddiqui's lawyer said she "has absolutely no involvement" in the hostage situation and condemned it.
Siddiqui was the first woman suspected of links to Al Qaeda to be arrested in the US, drawing the nickname "Lady Al Qaeda."
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