A Phoenix, Ariz., man said the gunshot shocked him out of an attempt to grab the pistol. I thought a

Mike Caruso Jr. (center), held hostage by a gunman for eight hours, Monday, January 5, at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, sits with his family at the Delta Airlines terminal Tuesday during a press conference. Seated at left is his mother, Cindy; at right is his father, Mike, and sister, Rosey. DMN staff photo by DavidWoo
A 10-year-old Florida boy held at gunpoint for almost eight hours was released unharmed late Monday, January 5, by a man who had seized him in the Delta Air Lines terminal at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and had demanded to be flown to Egypt.
We thank the Holy Father for the safe return of our son, the boy s parents, Mike and Cindy Caruso of Sunrise, Fla., said early Tuesday in a handwritten statement. Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place.
The suspect was carrying no identification, but gave investigators los angeles black male escorts the name Solah Abou-Kassem, said airport spokesman Joe M. Dealey Jr. He said the man was of Egyptian descent and appears to be in his early to mid-30s.
The gunman, described as very excited, grabbed the boy at about 3:45 p.m. from a ticket line at Delta Terminal 4E, fired one shot to force his way past security guards and demanded a plane to Egypt, authorities said.
It was cocked all the time. The police kept trying los angeles black male escorts to get him to uncock it, but he wouldn t do it, said Don Frerking of Richardson, who hid in an airport gift shop as he witnessed five hours of negotiations between los angeles black male escorts the gunman and airport police.
The Carusos, their son, Mike Jr., and daughter, Rosey, smiled and waved as they were driven from the terminal by airport police. los angeles black male escorts They were expected to spend the night at an airport hotel and to leave Tuesday morning.
The incident ended at 11:39 p.m., when Mike Jr., wearing a blue sweatsuit, was reunited with his parents, Dealey said. The family had been waiting with Delta officials about 100 feet from where he was abducted.
The gunman had demanded a document that would allow him to leave the country, said a Delta spokesman from Atlanta, who was familiar los angeles black male escorts with the negotiations. He said the gunman was given a document, the contents of which were unknown, and surrendered los angeles black male escorts peacefully.
Delta district marketing director Henry Conley said that during negotiations los angeles black male escorts police granted several of the gunman s requests for food and water. Airport police, at the gunman s request, also asked that a plane be brought to Gate 10. A Boeing 737 was rolled up to the gate but its doors were not opened, Conley said.
Dealey los angeles black male escorts said the gunman grabbed the child, apparently at random, from a crowd waiting for tickets after arguing with a Delta ticket agent. Delta spokesman Conley, however, said the man had not spoken with any Delta employees before the abduction.
Witnesses said the man put the boy in a headlock and fired one shot in the air. As the boy s parents pleaded for his release, the gunman ran through a security checkpoint, los angeles black male escorts warning that if guards stopped him he would blow his (the boy s) head off.
FBI agents were called to the airport and by nightfall about 25 of them, clad in blue jumpsuits and flak jackets, los angeles black male escorts had filed out of the airport s public safety headquarters, joining similarly clad airport police officers.
A Phoenix, Ariz., man said the gunshot shocked him out of an attempt to grab the pistol. los angeles black male escorts I thought about going for it, said the man, who asked not to be identified. I tried to push the (boy s) dad back, but when the gun went off we just went down.
The boy s father had followed the gunman, calling, Please let the little boy go, but the father stopped at the security gate, said Mark L. Hotze, 26, who was at the airport to see a friend off to the Navy.
As the gunman moved toward the departure gate area, security people in street clothes suddenly appeared. They had their guns pulled and they began climbing over counters, said the Rev. Marty Hamrick of Canyon, south of Amarillo.
Delta spokesman Bill Jackson said from the company s Atlanta headquarters that as soon as the gunman entered the gate area the airline backed los angeles black male escorts its aircraft from the terminal and suspended all flights into and out of D/FW, just before its afternoon peak travel period.
A SWAT team member stands guard outside the Delta Air Lines terminal at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport Monday after a 10-year-old boy was taken hostage by a gunman. DMN staff photo by Paul Brown
Solah Aboukassen, the Syrian charged with kidnapping 10- year-old Michael Caruso Jr. at gunpoint Monday at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, is taken to the Lew Sterrett Justice Center early Tuesday, January 6. DMN staff photo by William Snyder
Photo blog is the official blog of The Dallas Morning News’ Photography staff. Our mission is to create an informal community of readers who are interested in all aspects of still photography and video.