PARIS (KABC) -- Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl has reportedly told military officials that he was tortured and held in a cage by his Taliban captors in Afghanistan after he tried to escape. That's according to a senior U.S. official who says it is difficult to verify the account.
Bergdahl is currently being treated at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, a U.S. military medical facility in Germany. The New York Times is reporting that the 28-year-old soldier is not yet emotionally prepared to return to his family.
Meanwhile, federal investigators are working with Idaho authorities in tracking down who may be responsible for death threats against Bergdahl's family. The soldier's parents live in Hailey, Idaho.
The town, a community of about 8,000 residents, has canceled plans for a welcome-home celebration, citing security concerns.
Senior military officials and soldiers who served with Bergdahl told ABC News that he willingly walked away from his post. His release has touched off a debate, over whether Bergdahl should be given a hero's welcome or punished as a deserter.
The 28-year-old was captured in June 2009 after he disappeared from his infantry unit. Taliban videos soon followed, showing the desperate young soldier pleading for freedom.
After being held for nearly five years, Bergdahl was returned to the U.S. military in exchange for the release of five Taliban militants from the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The Taliban fighters were sent to Qatar, where the government imposed a one-year travel ban.
The deal, which the Obama White House brokered without consulting Congress, ignited a political firestorm. Lawmakers blasted the Obama administration for not informing Congress that a prisoner swap was being discussed and for negotiating with terrorists.
"Have we just put a price on other U.S. soldiers?" asked Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas. "What does this tell terrorists, that if you capture a U.S. soldier, you can trade that soldier for five terrorists?"
President Barack Obama has defended the swap, citing a "sacred" obligation to not leave men and women in uniform behind.
"Had we waited and lost him," said national security adviser Susan Rice, "I don't think anybody would have forgiven the United States government."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.