Rabbi credits training courses for survival after being held hostage at a Texas synagogue for nearly 11 hours

He arrived in the US legally in December, a separate federal law enforcement source told CNN. Therefore, Akram cleared vetting prior to his arrival, which would have been checked against classified and unclassified information available at the time.

Akram was not on a US government watchlist, the law enforcement source said.

British intelligence officials have advised their US counterparts that a preliminary review of their databases similarly show no derogatory information about Akram, the source said. UK authorities are continuing to scrub their systems.

UK Counter Terrorism Police for Greater Manchester announced on Sunday the detention of two teenagers in connection with the hostage incident. Both individuals, who were arrested in South Manchester, are still in custody for questioning.

Between January 6 and January 13, Akram spent three nights at Union Gospel Mission Dallas, a homeless shelter, according to shelter CEO Bruce Butler.

“We were a way station for him. He had a plan. He was very quiet. He was in and out,” Butler told CNN in a phone call Sunday.

According to their records, Akram left the mission for the last time Thursday morning, two days before the hostage situation. Butler said he does “not recall seeing him, but (Akram) was not there long enough to build any relationships. We had a lot of new faces coming in because of the cold weather, so there were more new people (at the shelter).”

Akram’s brother said in a statement posted on Facebook that the family is “absolutely devastated” by his actions and they “apologize wholeheartedly to all the victims,” adding that the family was in contact with police during the incident.

Rabbi credits training courses for hostages’ survival

“It was quite an ordeal,” Cytron-Walker told CNN Sunday of being held hostage. In a statement, he credited “multiple security courses” from law enforcement and non-profit agencies with giving him and the others the proper training to survive.

“In the last hour of our hostage crisis, the gunman became increasingly belligerent and threatening,” Cytron-Walker said. “Without the instruction we received, we would not have been prepared to act and flee when the situation presented itself.”

A member of the congregation told CNN’s Ed Lavandera she watched the livestream for more than an hour, listening to Akram yelling in different languages.

The suspect was vacillating between being apologetic about the situation and “screaming hysterically,” she said, talking repeatedly about how he hated Jewish people.

“At any moment, I thought there was going to be a gunshot,” the member said, adding that Akram claimed to have a bomb.

As the standoff came to an end, a CNN team in Colleyville heard a loud bang, followed by a short blast of rapid gunfire coming from the direction of the synagogue.

Crime scene investigators recovered one firearm they believe belonged to Akram, a spokesperson for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives told CNN.

A community comes together

Anna Salton Eisen, a member of Congregation Beth Israel, told CNN she was moved by how fellow residents as well as national and state leaders alike conveyed their sympathies, including President Joe Biden and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.

“The response from our neighbors, communities, from law enforcement, from churches, from mosques, was so overwhelming and intense and immediate that I really feel like if we have to face a crisis, that people will have our back,” she said.

Regarding how those held hostage and the congregation will respond following the standoff, she said, “For all of us, the first thing is regaining some sense of safety,” yet noted that she now feels safer because of the resolve shown by those around them.

“We are welcome and a part of this community, and even though anti-Semitism may be increasing and may be present, so is the remedy. So is the unity and the strength and the resolve to overcome these issues in our country,” she said.

Leaders from the Islamic Center of Southlake, who’ve worked closely with the synagogue, said Rabbi Cytron-Walker actively works to bring together members of the Christian, Jewish and Islamic faiths in the metro area.

The rabbi attends festivities during the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan, former center president Shahzad Mahmud said, and he brought sweets during their Eid festival. He said the rabbi and his wife have been friends of the Islamic center since “Day One.”

“We know them personally, and we want to make sure that the Jewish community knows that we stand with them as they always stand with us when we feel like we are in trouble by criminals,” Mahmud said.

Cytron-Walker said Sunday on Facebook, “I am thankful and filled with appreciation for all of the vigils and prayers and love and support, all of the law enforcement and first responders who cared for us.”

“I am grateful for my family. I am grateful for the CBI Community, the Jewish Community, the Human Community. I am grateful that we made it out. I am grateful to be alive,” he said.