The rabbi who was among those held hostage at a synagogue in Texas shared a message of gratitude on social media Sunday following his safe release from the hours-long standoff.
Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker and three other people were held against their will by man with a gun at the Congregation Beth Israel, a Reform synagogue in the city of Colleyville, about 30 miles northwest of Dallas. The suspect was there during the morning Shabbat service, which was livestreamed for the congregation.
Cytron-Walker said he was “filled with appreciation” for those who offered their support and the law enforcement who helped them to escape unharmed.
“I am grateful for my family. I am grateful for the CBI Community, the Jewish Community, the Human Community,” he wrote. “I am grateful that we made it out. I am grateful to be alive.”
Authorities have yet to identify the suspect but said Saturday night that he was deceased, not offering further details on how he died.
During the nearly 10-hour hostage situation, the suspect demanded the release of Aafia Siddiqui, according to three senior law enforcement officials briefed on the situation.
It’s unclear exactly how the situation unfolded Saturday morning, but the man had Cytron-Walker call a rabbi in New York City to say he was being held hostage and to express the demand of Siddiqui’s release, the officials said.
Siddiqui, 49, was convicted by a federal jury in 2010 of attempting to kill U.S. officers in Afghanistan and is currently being held at FMC Carswell, a federal prison in Fort Worth, Texas.
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Matthew DeSarno, FBI Dallas special agent in charge, credited hostage negotiators for their work alongside hundreds of local and federal authorities.
The first hostage was released unharmed at about 5 p.m. but the others were freed roughly four hours later when the FBI’s hostage rescue team entered the synagogue.
The hostages, all of whom were adults, were not physically harmed and did not require medical attention, officials said.
“Prayers answered. All hostages are out alive and safe,” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said in a tweet.
Tom Winter and Jonathan Dienst contributed.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
