Hostage in Texas Synagogue Standoff Uses Security Session Knowledge to Help Escape
A rabbi in a Texas synagogue hostage situation Saturday used training from a security session to help escape from a captor. That’s according to CBS News.
Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker and three others were held hostage by aa 44-year-old British national apparently attempting to gain release of Aafia Siddiqui. The Pakistani woman is serving an 86-year federal prison sentence in Texas for trying to kill U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan.
Cytron-Walker told CBS that as the 11-hour standoff continued to deteriorate, he knew from security training sessions that he needed to do whatever possible to get to safety.
"I told them to go, I threw a chair at the gunman and I headed for the door," he said. "And all three of us were able to get out without even a shot being fired.”
As the four hostages ran out of the building, law enforcement raided the synagogue and the captor was killed.
FBI and DHS have together sent a message to state and local law enforcement warning of a heightened threat level. Even so, there is currently no other credible threats of similar attacks.