A would-be terrorist attempting to kill a church congregation was stopped by a Christian minister.
Rasheed Abdul Aziz walked into the Corinth Missionary Baptist Church in Tyler, Texas on a mission to kill “the infidels,” the Tyler Morning Telegraph reported.
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Pastor John D. Johnson III knew there was a problem from the moment Aziz entered the church. The would-be terrorist was sweating profusely and wearing camouflage pants and a tactical vest, tattoos covered his arms and neck, and Johnson noticed the outline of a gun underneath his shirt.
“Every hair on my neck just stood up. It was almost like you could just like feel the presence of just negative energy,” Johnson told the Telegraph.
The mass had ended, but several parishioners were still lingering to discuss a fall festival they were planning, and the pastor was working with his teenage son in a private room.
Johnson brought Aziz into the conference room to speak privately where he launched into a full-scale rant about being a “man of Islam” and the demons that chased him.
Aziz said that Allah had commanded him to kill Christians and Jews who did not convert to Islam.
The pastor played it cool, Johnson was a former parole officer who specialized in verbal de-escalation, crisis prevention and had experience dealing with mentally ill offenders.
He asked Aziz to calm down and put himself between the Islamist and the door to protect the other members of the church. Johnson got him a cold drink of water and sat and prayed with him to talk it out.
“I never gave him the power of feeling that he was in control, that I was frightened,” the pastor said. “I just continued to engage, but I was very cautious not to raise my voice or make any quick moves.”
As Aziz became more irate, Johnson assured him he would take care of everything but needed to take care of his child first. He quietly told everyone to leave immediately.
Johnson decided to leave with his fellow church members, but as he loaded into his car, Aziz appeared at the front door and flashed a peace sign with his two fingers.
Law enforcement was called, and Aziz was arrested, but a church deacon later found a note that the would-be murder left behind.
“You helped me at a time of need. This house is blessed by God of all faiths. Muslim, Jew, and Christian shall all gather here in peace and justice for God as a whole. For the betterment of mankind as a whole. I thank you,” the note read.
