Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker, who was involved in the Texas synagogue hostage crisis, shared his ordeal how he made it out alive from the nearly 11-hour tense stand-off that grabbed headlines last week.
The hostage-taker, who was later identified as a British national, knocked on the glass door of the Texas synagogue seeking shelter. Rabbi Charlie let him in and made a cup of tea for him. But soon tables were turned.
Malik Faisal Akram, 44, took four people hostage at the synagogue. After hours of intense operation, Akram was killed later on Sunday.
During an American television program on the CBS network, Rabbi Charlie shared how his experience was both "terrifying and overwhelming". "We are still processing (the hostage situation)," he said.
"When I let him in. I stayed with him. Making tea was an opportunity for me to talk with him. I didn't hear anything suspicious." "But some of his stories didn't add up."
Over the question of how he maintained his composure during the hostage situation, Charlie said, "I guess, you have got to do what you have to do."
During the hostage situation, Rabbi Charlie said that he remembered his security training and waited for the right time to make a move against the gunman.
"When I saw an opportunity where he wasn't in a good position, I made sure that the gentlemen who were still with me, that they were ready to go. The exit wasn't too far away," he told CBS.
"I told them to go. I threw a chair at the gunman and I headed for the door. And all three of us were able to get out without even a shot being fired."
On Sunday, the US authorities confirmed that the gunman was British national Malik Faisal Akram. The cause of Akram's death has not been disclosed, The Hill reported.
Akram had demanded the release of Pakistani neuroscientist Aafia Siddiqui, who is currently imprisoned in Texas for attempting to murder a US soldier.
( With inputs from ANI )
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor