Publicist, synagogue president named among dead in Kabul attack

Glenn Selig, who represented former Trump associate, among 22 killed in Taliban siege on Intercontinental Hotel in Afghan capital

A Tampa publicist active in the Jewish community was one of four Americans killed in a Taliban attack on a hotel in Kabul, Afghanistan, over the weekend.

Glenn Selig, who was recently hired as a spokesman for indicted former Trump campaign manager Rick Gates, was killed in the Saturday attack, according to a statement from Selig Multimedia, the parent company of his PR firm The Publicity Agency.

“Glenn was a tireless professional, loyal friend and pillar of the community, but most importantly he was a loving husband and wonderful father,” the statement read, according to CNN.

Selig, a former television reporter, had been in Kabul exploring a project on counter-extremism for a government agency, a spokesman for his company told the Tampa Bay Times.

He had been president of Congregation Mekor Shalom, a Tampa synagogue, for the last two years, and was recently elected to a third term.

Selig and 21 other people were killed when six Taliban militants stormed the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul wearing suicide vests late Saturday night, looking for foreigners and Afghan officials to kill. The siege on the hotel lasted 13 hours.

An Afghan security personnel stands guard as smoke billows from the Intercontinental Hotel during a fight between gunmen and Afghan security forces in Kabul on January 21, 2018. (AFP/ WAKIL KOHSAR)

The dead included 14 foreigners, Afghan officials said. Eleven of the 14 foreigners had been previously identified as working for the private Afghan airline KamAir.

“We offer our deepest condolences to the families and friends of those who were killed and wish for the speedy recovery of those wounded,” the State Department said. “Out of respect for the families of the deceased, we have no further comment.”