Gunman on French train opens fire, 2 hurt

He was one of three Americans who helped take down a gunman on a train heading from Amsterdam to Paris.

French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve confirmed that Spanish intelligence services had flagged the man to France “due to his membership of the radical Islamist movement”.

On that date, they were informed by their German counterparts that Khazzani was about to fly from Berlin to the Turkish city of Istanbul, a French intelligence official told AFP. He was treated and released from the hospital Saturday.

El-Khazzani was under police surveillance after allegedly travelling to Syria a year ago and French officials had already indicated they believed he’s the man they have in custody. Deputy Press Secretary Eric Schultz commented on what President Obama said to the three men. With him was his friend, Airman First Class Spencer Stone of Carmichael, Calif. “And he jumped, I followed behind him by about three seconds”. Then they spotted a gunman entering the train auto with an automatic rifle.

“He had a Kalashnikov, he had a magazine full…”

At the same time, a British passenger also helped subdue the attacker. Now, authorities overseas are calling the men heroes.

The man began shooting at 5:50pm on Friday (1:50am AEST), train operator Thalys said.

Norman, a grandfather who lives in France said he helped the three Americans overpower the gunman who opened fire on the train because he thought he was “probably going to die anyway”.

Stone, wounded and bleeding, kept the suspect in a chokehold. A heavily guarded caravan was seen arriving Saturday night at the U.S. ambassador’s residence in Paris, apparently escorting Stone and Sadler, both 23, and Skarlatos, 22. The gunman cut Stone as he subdued the attacker. He then grabbed the AK-47 which was at his feet and started “muzzle-thumping him in the head with it”.

“If anybody would have gotten shot, it would have been Spencer for sure”, he added. “Spencer is a very strong guy, he held him very well”.

“Then I heard a guy, an American say “Go get him!”

“That’s our friend so once we saw him go we had to go and join him…”

Stone was severely cut by the suspect in the neck and hand and received treatment at a hospital in northern France.

Fingerprint evidence shows that the gunman overpowered by passengers on a train in France is a Morrocan known to European authorities as a suspected Islamist militant, according to a source familiar with the case. “In the process, Spencer gets slashed multiple times by the box cutter, and Alek takes the AK away”, he continued. “But they were able to subdue him while the train was still moving”. “He’ll be good”, Brian Stone said. I decided it was really the only chance was to act as a team and try to take down the assailant.

The minister said the second person hurt was of Franco-American nationality, hit by a bullet while seated.

Norman, who lives in the south of France and was returning home from a business trip, brushed off the idea that he was a hero for helping.

“Everything is being done to bring light to this drama and obtain more information on what happened”, the office of President Franç ois Hollande said Friday. It’s a miracle. We were incredibly lucky to have these American soldiers.

Cazeneuve expressed gratitude to everyone who intervened.

Cazeneuve called for caution before jumping to conclusions. The man is in custody and is being questioned.

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

“They did their job”, he said.

Investigators are working to determine a motive.

“I’m just a college student”, Sadler, who is a senior and studies physical therapy at Sac State, told Reuters.