Californian Among Train Passengers Who Subdued Terrorist

French authorities have been on heightened alert since Islamic extremist attacks in January left 20 people dead, including the three attackers.

The high-speed train was traveling from Amsterdam to Paris and was in Belgium at the time of the shooting.

Alek Skarlatos of Roseburg and his friend Spencer Stone were on the high-speed train out of Amsterdam when they noticed a suspicious passenger and confronted him, according to Skarlatos’ stepmother, Karen Skarlatos.

“Thanks to the calm of two American passengers, we have avoided a tragedy”, French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said earlier in the day. “It’s my previous year in college”.

The attack occurred while the train was on Belgian soil and Belgium Prime Minister Charles Michel tweeted, “I condemn the terrorist attack on the Thalys and offer my sympathy to the victims”. “It’s kind of insane”. Chris Norman, a Briton living in France, pitched in to help them. “Alex looked at what was happening”.

“If anybody would have gotten shot it would have been Spencer for sure”, Skarlatos said in an interview with Reuters. “The three of us beat up the guy”, Anthony stated.

Norman summed it all up, saying had they not intervened, the ordeal may have ended in “carnage”. Spencer was cut within the head & neck & virtually had his thumb cut off, Alek’s brother, Peter Skarlatos told CNN. “We’re very lucky that nobody got killed, especially Spencer”.

“To be honest, I’m not an organizer for parades or anything, but I think these two guys deserve a tickertape parade when they arrive back home to Oregon”. “He just went over there and saved his life as he was bleeding himself”.

The gunman overcame the train passenger, but was soon met by Anthony Sadler’s friend, who is enlisted in the Marines, the father said.

“In the aftermath, we saw that a man’s throat had been split and he was bleeding profusely”, Mr Sadler said.