2015 Thalys train attack

Last updated

2015 Thalys train attack
Part of Islamic terrorism in Europe
Coupling THA 9364 B M-Z, June 2014 (2).JPG
A Thalys train operating the same route, leaving Brussels-South in June 2014
LocationOn board Thalys train 9364 near Oignies, France
Coordinates 50°27′57″N2°58′26″E / 50.46583°N 2.97389°E / 50.46583; 2.97389
Date21 August 2015 (2015-08-21)
17:45 (CEST)
Attack type
Attempted mass shooting
Weapons
Deaths0
Injured4 (3 directly, including the perpetrator) [Note 1]
PerpetratorAyoub El Khazzani
DefendersDamien A., Mark Moogalian, Spencer Stone, Anthony Sadler, Alek Skarlatos, and Chris Norman
Motive Islamist terrorism

On 21 August 2015, a man opened fire on a Thalys train on its way from Amsterdam to Paris. [6] [7] [8] Four people were injured, including the assailant. [9] French, American and British passengers confronted the attacker and subdued him. For their heroism, they received France's highest decoration, the Legion of Honour. The assailant, later identified as Ayoub El Khazzani, initially claimed to be only a robber, but later confessed that he had wanted to "kill Americans" as revenge for bombings in Syria. [10] [11] [12]

Contents

Attack

Map of main Thalys routes and connections Karte Thalys.svg
Map of main Thalys routes and connections
Diagram from Thalys internal report 2015 Thalys Train Attack2.png
Diagram from Thalys internal report

Thalys passenger train 9364 from Amsterdam to Paris crossed the Belgian border to France at approximately 17:45 CEST on 21 August 2015. [14] [15] A 25-year-old Moroccan man named Ayoub El Khazzani emerged from the lavatory room of car No. 12. [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] He was shirtless and brandishing a Draco carbine. [2] [3] [22] In addition to the folding-stock carbine with a 30-round magazine, he was wearing a knapsack containing eight more loaded magazines, a 9mm Luger pistol, a utility knife, and a bottle of gasoline. [5] [20] [23]

As El Khazzani exited the lavatory, he encountered 28-year-old Frenchman "Damien A." [17] On seeing the shirtless and heavily armed Moroccan, Damien attempted to restrain the gunman, but was overpowered and fell to the floor. Seated nearby, American-born Frenchman Mark Moogalian (age 51) [17] saw the scuffle, got up, and in the ensuing struggle wrested the rifle from El Khazzani. [24] As Moogalian turned to move his wife out of harm's way, El Khazzani pulled out a concealed 9mm Luger pistol and shot Moogalian in the back, with the bullet passing through his lung and exiting via his neck. Moogalian fell to the floor and remained still, playing dead. El Khazzani retrieved his dropped carbine, [17] [19] [25] [26] [27] walked to the passenger area and attempted to fire the weapon at the occupants of the car, but the weapon misfired. [19]

Sitting about 10 meters down the aisle from El Khazzani were three American friends, two of them off-duty members of the United States Armed Forces: 23-year-old Airman First Class Spencer Stone, [28] 22-year-old Specialist Alek Skarlatos, [25] [29] [30] [31] and 23-year-old Anthony Sadler. [32] [33] [34] [35] [36] [37] Alarmed by the sound of the gunshot that injured Moogalian, and seeing the shirtless Moroccan with an assault rifle, Skarlatos cried out to his friends "Get him!" [14] Stone moved first, [38] running up the aisle, straight at the gun-wielding El Khazzani and putting him into a chokehold. [38] El Khazzani dropped the carbine, but repeatedly cut Stone in the hand, head, and neck with the utility knife; Stone's thumb was nearly severed. [4] Skarlatos seized the jammed rifle off the floor and began "muzzle-thumping" El Khazzani about the head, while Stone continued his choke-hold. El Khazzani fell unconscious. [38] In a video taken in the immediate aftermath, an American voice can be heard exclaiming, "Dude, I tried to shoot him." [38]

British passenger Chris Norman (age 62) [39] and a French train driver helped to hold El Khazzani down, and they used Norman's T-shirt to tie his arms behind his back. [18] [39] About his joining the struggle to subdue the shooter, Norman said, "I'm not going to be the guy who dies sitting down." "If you're going to die, try to do something about it." [40]

Skarlatos then swept the other cars for more gunmen with the assault rifle and pistol in hand. He noted that the assault rifle was jammed and the pistol was missing a magazine and had no rounds in the chamber; neither gun was fire-ready. [41] Stone, a military-trained medic, [39] tried to stop the severe bleeding from Moogalian's gunshot wound by wrapping his shirt around the injury. [26] [39] This proved ineffective, so he inserted two fingers into the neck wound and pushed down on an artery, which stopped the bleeding. [42] [43]

The train was carrying 554 passengers and was passing Oignies in the Pas-de-Calais department when the attack took place, and it was rerouted to the station of Arras. [9] [44] Moogalian was airlifted to the University Hospital in Lille, while Stone was later treated for thumb and eye injuries and other wounds. [3] The remaining passengers were taken to Arras, where they were searched and identified before being allowed to proceed to Paris. [1]

Assailant

Ayoub El Khazzani [45] (born 3 September 1989, [46] also spelled El-Khazzani and el-Qazzani) from Morocco [47] was identified as the assailant by French and Spanish authorities; he had boarded the train in Brussels. [48] He carried no identification but was identified by his fingerprints. He had resided in Aubervilliers, Seine-Saint-Denis, France, since 2014. [49] He was originally from Tétouan in northern Morocco [50] and moved to Spain in 2007, two years after his father had legalized his status there. [51] He was an employee at the mobile phone operator firm Lycamobile for two months in early 2014 before having to leave due to not having the right work papers.

El Khazzani was known to French authorities and had been tagged with a fiche "S" (S file or security file), the highest warning level for French state security. He had been similarly profiled by Belgian, Spanish, and German authorities. [52] He had reportedly lived in the Spanish cities of Madrid and Algeciras [53] from 2007 to March 2014. [54] During his time in Spain, he attracted the attention of authorities after making speeches defending jihad, attending a known radical mosque, and being involved in drug trafficking. [52] He then moved to France, and the Spanish authorities informed the French of their suspicions. [54] French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said that he had moved to Belgium first in 2015. [50] He had reportedly spent time between May and July in Syria before moving to France. [16] [54] [55]

Motives and confession

El Khazzani initially told his lawyer that he was simply a homeless man who, while sleeping in a Brussels park, found a suitcase containing a rifle and pistol, and that he had no intention to massacre the passengers but planned to rob them so that he might eat. [12] [34] [56] [57] However, authorities said that his explanations became less plausible with each questioning and that he had eventually stopped talking to investigators. [5] [58] According to prosecutor François Molins, El Khazzani listened to a "YouTube audio file in which the individual exhorted his followers to raise arms and fight in the name of the prophet" and that his Internet browsing history showed "clear evidence of terrorist intent." [59] Prosecutors discovered the files on his phone, which they say he listened to immediately prior to the attack. [5]

In December 2016, El Khazzani confessed to French courts that he had come from Syria and had traveled to Europe for the express purpose of killing Americans in revenge for bombings in Syria. He told a French judge that "I'm a real jihadist, but we do not kill women and children. I am not a slaughterer. I am a noble fighter. I am a soldier." [10] French authorities did not believe the claims by El Khazzani that he wasn't planning a mass killing in light of the nine fully loaded magazines he had brought on board in order to reload his weapon. [60]

Possible source of weapons

French newspaper La Voix du Nord said that the gunman in the Thalys attack may have had connections to groups targeted by the Belgian counter-terror operation, and authorities investigated the link. [54] One of the gunmen in the 2015 Île-de-France attacks, Amedy Coulibaly, had purchased automatic weapons and a rocket launcher from Belgian gangs, [61] allegedly in a black market near Gare du Midi in Brussels, the station where El Khazzani boarded the train. [62] [63]

Preliminary charges were filed against El Khazzani on 25 August 2015 by the Paris prosecutor's office for attempted murder in connection with terrorism, possession of weapons in connection with terrorism, and participation in a terrorist conspiracy. He was remanded in custody. [3] [5] [64] On November 16, 2020, he and three suspected accomplices were put on trial in a Paris court. [65] [66] Three others alleged to have facilitated the attack also await trial. They are Bilal Chatra from Algeria, Mohamed Bakkali and Redouane Sebbar. [67] Their trial went forward in November 2020 and Spencer Stone and Alek Skarlatos were scheduled to testify, but Stone was hospitalized for undisclosed reasons and was unable to be called by the prosecution. [68]

El Khazzani: The prosecutors got the convictions and the sentences they sought: for attempted murders and conspiracy to commit an act of terrorism, received life and lifetime deportation from France. El Khanazzi claimed at the trial that Abdelhamid Abaaoud, who led the terrorist cell which perpetrated the January 2015 Île-de-France attacks and had been killed in a raid on 18 November 2015, had organized the train attack. [69] [70]

Bilal Chatra from Algeria got 27 years in prison with a lifetime ban from returning to French territory. It was found that he helped El Khazzani and Abdelhamid Abaaoud travel between Belgium and Syria. The court found the evidence supported Chatra being in Brussels at the time of the attack, something Chatra had denied. [70]

Mohamed Bakkali received 25 years in prison and a lifetime ban from returning to French territory. According to the prosecution, Bakkali had chauffeured a vehicle to Hungary and Germany to take Abaaoud and El Khazzani to an apartment in Brussels. During the court proceeding, he maintained his innocence. The judge said that the court did not find the protestations of innocence credible and added that police investigations had found many telephone calls proved that he was a close associate of the El Bakraoui brothers, who had killed themselves and victims in the 2016 Brussels suicide bombings. [70]

Redouane El AmraniEzzerrifi, a 28-year-old Moroccan, got 7 years in prison. He had aided three people to join the Islamic State in Syria and met Abdelhamid Abaaoud in 2014 and lived with him for a month in Turkey and four days in Athens where Abaaoud planned the attacks in Belgium. [70]

Involved passengers

Chris Norman, Anthony Sadler, President Hollande, Spencer Stone, and Alek Skarlatos after their Legion of Honour ceremony at the Elysee Palace on 24 August 2015 150824-F-RN211-147.jpg
Chris Norman, Anthony Sadler, President Hollande, Spencer Stone, and Alek Skarlatos after their Legion of Honour ceremony at the Élysée Palace on 24 August 2015

The following passengers were noted by the press for their involvement in the incident:

Spencer Stone talks to reporters during a news conference in Paris on August 23, 2015 U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Spencer Stone briefs reporters during a news conference with U.S. Ambassador to France Jane D. Hartley in Paris, August 23, 2015 (cropped).JPG
Spencer Stone talks to reporters during a news conference in Paris on August 23, 2015

Norman, Sadler, Skarlatos, and Stone were made Knights of the Legion of Honour (chevaliers de la Légion d'honneur) on 24 August by French president François Hollande. [81] [82] Moogalian was also made a Knight of the Legion of Honour on 13 September 2015, [83] with Damien A. expected to be similarly honored at a later date; [81] he reportedly received it in the post while preserving his anonymity. [84] Norman, Sadler, and Skarlatos were also awarded the medal of the city of Arras. [85] [86]

In the United States, Sadler was also awarded the Secretary of Defense Medal for Valor. [87] Skarlatos was awarded the Soldier's Medal, the highest medal awarded to Army personnel for actions outside of combat, [77] while Stone was awarded the Airman's Medal and the Purple Heart. He was also meritoriously promoted two grades on 1 November to Staff Sergeant. [88] Stone and Sadler also received the Civic Medal 1st class from the Prime Minister of Belgium. [89]

Sadler, Skarlatos, and Stone were naturalized as French citizens in an honorary ceremony at the Alliance française in Sacramento, California on January 31, 2019. [90]

Reactions

Government reactions

EU collaboration

Koen Geens, the Belgian justice minister, called for increased collaboration within the EU on arms trafficking. [94] Geens said "I do not believe that these weapons are of Belgian origin" and "there are far too many illegal Kalashnikovs and [military surplus] arriving in Belgium from Eastern Europe." [95] He called for more effective arms control outside the Schengen zone, and flagged increased police powers against weapons traffickers. [96] On 29 August, ministers from France, the UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Switzerland met in Paris to discuss train security, including the possibility of using metal detectors for some international train passengers. [97]

Security improvements

In response to the attack, the Belgian government decided to increase patrols of Belgian police at international train stations and to increase baggage checks. [98] Belgian prime minister Charles Michel called for urgent talks with France, Germany and the Netherlands on increasing security on cross-border trains. [99] The European Commission said that the Schengen treaty is non-negotiable, and that increased security checks cannot include border checks. [100] European Union officials are now considering introducing metal detectors and body scans at all train stations, along with an increase in CCTV cameras inside trains. [101]

Investigations

Separate official investigations were launched by the governmental authorities of France, Spain, and Belgium. [102] [103] In addition, Thalys International has launched their own internal investigation. [104]

French and Spanish investigations

On 21 August, the anti-terrorist section of the French public prosecutor's office in Paris took over the investigation based on "the arms used, the events that unfolded, and the context." [105]

In view of the gravity of the acts he was accused of, the suspect was placed in custody for a period which could be extended to 96 hours. According to the police, based on the modus operandi the attack resembled a terrorist attack. [106]

A Spanish police spokesman said that the suspect's parents' house in Algeciras had been searched. [103]

In the aftermath of the November 2015 attacks in Paris, it was reported that Abdelhamid Abaaoud was under investigation by French police as a possible link to the Thalys attack. [107] [108]

On 14 February 2018, French police arrested a Moroccan citizen in Paris who was suspected of involvement in the attack. The man was travelling from his home in Spain to Belgium at the time of his arrest. [109]

Belgian investigation

A spokesman for the Belgian Federal Prosecutor's Office announced on 22 August that they had launched an investigation into the attempted attack. They consider that Belgium is involved due to the heavily armed perpetrator having boarded the train at Brussels-South railway station. [102] In October 2017, Belgian police announced that after conducting six searches, they had charged two additional people identified as Mohamed Bakkali who was accused of leading a terrorist group and Youssef Siraj as being a group member involved in the attack. They were transported to France for prosecution. [110] [111]

Thalys investigation

At the initiative of the French National Railway's President, Guillaume Pepy, an internal investigation was launched by Thalys in order to shed light on the sequence of events during the attack. [104]

On 18 September 2015, Thalys published an internal report about the assault. [112] [113]

Developments in 2019

A reconstruction of the attack was made at El Khazzani's request, in September 2019. He said that he let himself be captured as he felt unable to shoot his first target. He was acting under the orders of Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the coordinator of the "Islamic State" group's cell that struck France and Belgium in 2015 and 2016. He was to attack American soldiers, but could not explain how he knew they were on the train, and who they were. As of 2019 four other men are under investigation in France, primarily Bilal Chatra and Redouane Sebbar. Chatra is implicated as having played the role of people smuggler for El Khazzani and Abaaoud on their return journey from Syria amongst the flow of migrants. Sebbar is thought to have participated in the preparations for the shooting. Mohamed Bakkali is considered an essential logistician in the terrorist cell, and Youssef Siraj is accused of having housed El Khazzani in Brussels before the attack. [114]

Controversies

Actions of train crew

French actor Jean-Hugues Anglade, who was traveling in the last car before the rear engine, alleged that the train crew locked themselves in the engine car and did not come to the aid of passengers. He said they heard gunshots and screaming in the next car, after which several crew members rushed past them to the engine car, opened it with a key and locked themselves inside. He said the dozen passengers in his car banged on it and begged the crew to open it. He also said that when Sadler came into their car searching for blankets and a first aid kit for the wounded, Sadler also banged on the door of the engine car to no avail. [115]

Anglade's claims were denied by the Thalys corporation [104] and he later acknowledged that the two crew members who locked themselves in the engine car with a handful of passengers were not Thalys employees but contractors from a catering company. He added, "The French conductor and the other Thalys employee present in the coach where the assault took place showed ... heroic behavior." [116]

Agnès Ogier, director-general of Thalys, defended the train employees, who she said "have fulfilled their duty" and were unaware the terrorist had been subdued. [117] She also reported that a male employee took five or six passengers with him while seeking shelter. [116]

Treatment of suspect

On 26 August, El Khazzani's lawyer, Me Mani Ayadi, criticised the treatment of his client during the latter's transfer to the courthouse, where a handcuffed El Khazzani was walked into the building blindfolded and barefoot. In response, a French official familiar with the case stated that the authorities followed standard security precautions, which dictate that suspects charged with terrorism and organized crime be blindfolded so they cannot later identify the officials escorting them. The official also said the accused refused to wear the shoes offered to him. [118] [119] [120]

On 1 September, the French public prosecutor's office issued a warning to television network i-Télé after its 25 August broadcast showing suspect El Khazzani arriving at the courthouse in handcuffs. It is illegal in France to publish images of people in handcuffs (prior to their conviction) without their consent, due to the presumption of innocence. i-Télé digitally blurred out El Khazzani's hands, but the prosecutor's office warned the network that this was insufficient, and criminal charges would be brought against it if this reoccurred. [121]

Film

In 2018, the event was dramatised as the film The 15:17 to Paris , directed by Clint Eastwood with Sadler, Skarlatos and Stone playing themselves. [122]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ The injured were Moogalian, Stone, El Khazzani, and Anglade, whose injury was indirectly related to the incident.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thalys</span> European high-speed train service, 1996–2023

Thalys was a brand name used for high-speed train services between Paris Gare du Nord via Brussels-South to either Amsterdam Centraal or to German cities in the Rhein-Ruhr, including Aachen, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Duisburg, Essen and Dortmund. Since 29 September 2023, the services continue to operate, but under the Eurostar name; sometimes referred to as Eurostar Red, based on the colour of the trains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean-Hugues Anglade</span> French actor

Jean-Hugues Anglade is a French actor, film director and screenwriter, known for his roles as Eric in Killing Zoe, Zorg in Betty Blue and Marco, the boyfriend of Nikita in Nikita.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terrorism in France</span> Overview of terrorism in France

Terrorism in France refers to the terrorist attacks that have targeted the country and its population during the 20th and 21st centuries. Terrorism, in this case is much related to the country's history, international affairs and political approach. Legislation has been set up by lawmakers to fight terrorism in France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 Verviers police raid</span>

On 15 January 2015, Belgian police carried out a raid on premises in Verviers, Belgium. According to news sources, the raids were an anti-terrorist operation against Islamist radicals.

In France, a fiche S is an indicator used by law enforcement to flag an individual considered to be a serious threat to national security. The S stands for Sûreté de l'État. It is the highest level of such a warning in France; it allows surveillance but is not cause for arrest. There have been some 400,000 individuals assigned a fiche S since 1969. These continue to include gangsters, prison escapees, and ecologists, as well as suspected Islamic extremists. Suspects flagged with fiche S have included those who have looked at jihadist websites or met radicals outside mosques, to those considered highly dangerous.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alek Skarlatos</span> American former National Guard soldier

Aleksander Reed Skarlatos is an American former Army National Guard soldier who, along with Spencer Stone, Anthony Sadler and three others, stopped a gunman on a Paris-bound train travelling from Amsterdam via Brussels in August 2015. He was awarded the United States Army's Soldier's Medal from U.S. President Barack Obama. All six received France's highest decoration, the Chevalier of the Legion of Honour, from French president François Hollande. The Americans were also awarded the medal of the city of Arras.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spencer Stone</span> American former U.S. staff sergeant (born 1992)

Spencer John Stone is an American former United States Air Force staff sergeant. In August 2015, Stone, along with friends Alek Skarlatos and Anthony Sadler and three other passengers, as well as an off-duty train driver, while travelling from Amsterdam on a high speed, Paris-bound train, disarmed and subdued a solitary, heavily armed Moroccan terrorist. Three days later, French President François Hollande awarded Stone, Sadler, and Skarlatos, as well as British citizen Chris Norman, the Legion of Honour. Stone was recognized by U.S. Ambassador to France Jane D. Hartley for "his actions in saving countless lives" and by U.S. President Barack Obama, with a ceremony held at The Pentagon to honor the trio. For his bravery, Stone was awarded the Airman's Medal and a Purple Heart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">November 2015 Paris attacks</span> 2015 terrorist attacks in France

A series of coordinated Islamist terrorist attacks took place on Friday, 13 November 2015 in Paris, France, and the city's northern suburb, Saint-Denis. Beginning at 21:16, three suicide bombers struck outside the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, during an international football match, after failing to gain entry to the stadium. Another group of attackers then fired on crowded cafés and restaurants in Paris, with one of them also detonating an explosive, killing himself in the process. A third group carried out another mass shooting and took hostages at an Eagles of Death Metal concert attended by 1,500 people in the Bataclan theatre, leading to a stand-off with police. The attackers were either shot or detonated suicide vests when police raided the theatre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salah Abdeslam</span> Belgian-born French convicted terrorist

Salah Abdeslam is a Belgian-born Islamic terrorist who was sentenced to life in prison in France in 2022 as the only surviving member of the 10-man unit that carried out the attacks in Paris on 13 November 2015, in which 130 people were killed and more than 490 injured.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abdelhamid Abaaoud</span> Belgian-born terrorist (1987–2015)

Abdelhamid Abaaoud was a Belgian-born Islamic terrorist who had spent time in Syria. He was suspected of having organized multiple terror attacks in Belgium and France, and is known to have masterminded the November 2015 Paris attacks. Prior to the Paris attacks, there was an international arrest warrant issued for Abaaoud for his activities in recruiting individuals to Islamic terrorism in Syria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 Saint-Denis raid</span> ISIL-DCPJ/RAID shootout near Paris

A police raid became a shootout between at least one hundred French police and soldiers and suspected members of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mohamed Abrini</span> Belgian-Moroccan terrorist

Mohamed Abrini is a Belgian Islamic terrorist. On 29 June 2022 he was convicted of involvement in the November 2015 Paris attacks and received a sentence of life imprisonment with a minimum term of 22 years. In July 2023 he was convicted of terrorist-related murder and attempted murder for his role in the 2016 Brussels bombings, and given a sentence of 30 years.

On 15 and 18 March 2016, Belgian police carried out raids on houses in Brussels. The raids were conducted in connection to the attacks in Paris four months earlier. In the raids, one suspect was killed and five others were arrested, including Salah Abdeslam, the only surviving member of the 10-man unit that carried out the November 2015 Paris attacks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Brussels bombings</span> Islamic State suicide bombings in Belgium

On 22 March 2016, two coordinated terrorist attacks in and close to Brussels, Belgium, were carried out by the Islamic State (IS). Two suicide bombers detonated bombs at Brussels Airport in Zaventem just outside Brussels, and one detonated a bomb on a train leaving Maelbeek/Maalbeek metro station in the European Quarter of Brussels. Thirty-two people were killed and more than 300 were injured. Three perpetrators also died. A third airport attacker fled the scene without detonating his bomb, which was later found in a search of the airport. A second metro attacker also fled, taking his bomb with him. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attacks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brussels Islamic State terror cell</span> Group who carried out Paris and Brussels terrorist attacks

The Brussels Islamic State terror cell was a group involved in large-scale terrorist attacks in Paris in November 2015 and Brussels in March 2016. The terror cell was connected to the Islamic State (IS), a jihadist terrorist organisation primarily based in Syria and Iraq.

Khālid El Bakraoui, also known as Abū Walīd al-Baljīkī, was a Belgian national of Moroccan descent, confirmed to be the suicide bomber at the metro station in the 2016 Brussels bombings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony Sadler</span> American author

Anthony Albert Sadler Jr. is an American author and television personality. Sadler, along with his friends Alek Skarlatos and Spencer Stone and several other passengers stopped a gunman on a Paris-bound train travelling from Amsterdam via Brussels in August 2015, gaining international recognition for their role in the event. Recognized by then-U.S. President Barack Obama and French President François Hollande, Sadler received several awards and decorations for his actions. He, along with his friends, was awarded the Legion of Honour by the French president which is the highest French order for military and civil merits.

Spencer Stone, a United States Air Force staff sergeant, was stabbed on October 8, 2015, in downtown Sacramento, California. Stone was stabbed by a 28-year-old California man, James Tran. The event received considerable attention in the U.S., in part because Stone had helped stop a gunman on a Paris-bound train traveling from Amsterdam via Brussels two months earlier in August 2015.

This article covers attacks and activity of terrorism in Belgium.

<i>The 15:17 to Paris</i> 2018 American biographical drama film

The 15:17 to Paris is a 2018 American biographical drama film produced and directed by Clint Eastwood and written by Dorothy Blyskal, based on the 2016 autobiography The 15:17 to Paris: The True Story of a Terrorist, a Train, and Three American Heroes by Jeffrey E. Stern, Spencer Stone, Anthony Sadler, and Alek Skarlatos. The film stars Stone, Sadler, and Skarlatos as themselves and follows the trio through life leading up to and including their stopping of the 2015 Thalys train attack. Judy Greer and Jenna Fischer also star.

References

  1. 1 2 "Attentat dans un Thalys: Le scénario de l'attaque déjouée minute par minute [Attack in Thalys: The scenario of the foiled attack minute by minute]". 20 minutes (in French). 22 August 2015. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
  2. 1 2 Stern, Jeffrey; Sadler, Anthony; Skarlatos, Alek; Stone, Spencer (2016). The 15:17 to Paris. New York: PublicAffairs. pp. 166–167. ISBN   978-1-61039-819-0.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Suspect in France train shooting watched jihadi video prior to attack, French authorities say". Fox News Channel. 25 August 2015. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 Mikelbank, Peter (22 August 2015). "'Wrong Place, Right People': U.S. Servicemen, Passengers Speak Out after Foiling Possible Terror Attack on European Train". People . Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "France train shooting: Attack 'was well prepared'". BBC News. 25 August 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  6. ↑ "Des militaires américains évitent un carnage dans un Thalys reliant Amsterdam à Paris [American soldiers avoid bloodshed in a Thalys train from Amsterdam to Paris]". Le Monde (in French). 21 August 2015. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
  7. ↑ Landauro, Inti; Schechner, Sam (21 August 2015). "Three Wounded in Attack on French Train". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
  8. ↑ "US student tells of his attack on French train gunman". The Guardian. 22 August 2015. Retrieved 17 September 2015.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "France train shooting: Three hurt and man arrested". BBC News. 22 August 2015. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
  10. 1 2 Soren Seelow (19 December 2016). "Attaque du Thalys : le terroriste était sous les ordres d'Abdelhamid Abaaoud". Le Monde (in French). Retrieved 2 March 2019.
  11. ↑ Newmark, Zack (21 August 2015). "Three hurt in Amsterdam-to-Paris train "terrorist attack"". NL Times. Archived from the original on 23 August 2015. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
  12. 1 2 Pennetier, Marine; MacDonald, Catherine (23 August 2015). "French train gunman 'dumbfounded' by terrorist tag". Reuters . Retrieved 23 August 2015.
  13. ↑ "Internal report of Thalys" (PDF). Thalys (in French). 18 September 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
  14. 1 2 3 "2 members of U.S. military stop Islamist attacker on train in Belgium". CNN. 21 August 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  15. ↑ "Internal report of Thalys" (PDF). Thalys (in French). 18 September 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
  16. 1 2 "Tirs dans un Thalys : ce que l'on sait du suspect [What is known about the suspect in the foiled Thalys attack]". Le Monde (in French). 21 August 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Barrett, David (23 August 2015). "Revealed: The mystery man who tackled AK-47 assault rifle from train gunman". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 23 August 2015.
  18. 1 2 3 Suc, Matthieu (22 August 2015). "Attaque dans le Thalys : "J'ai levé la tête et j'ai vu un gars avec un AK-47 " [Attack on the Thalys: "I looked up and I saw a bloke with an AK-47"]". Le Monde (in French). Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  19. 1 2 3 4 "US student tells of his attack on French train gunman". The Guardian. 22 August 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  20. 1 2 Gray, Melissa; Meilhan, Pierre (22 August 2015). "Americans who thwarted train attack praised for 'exceptional courage'". CNN. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  21. ↑ "US student tells of his attack on French train gunman". The Guardian. 22 August 2015. Retrieved 17 September 2015.
  22. ↑ "France awards 3 lifelong American friends, Briton for stopping train attack". CNN. 24 August 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  23. ↑ Krisnadev, Calamur (24 August 2015). "How France Is Rewarding Three Americans Who Thwarted a Gunman on a Train". The Atlantic. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  24. 1 2 Shapiro, Emily. "Inside the Attack on Paris-Bound Train: The Timeline of Terror". ABC News. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  25. 1 2 3 4 Ganley, Elaine (23 August 2015). "US airman says train attacker 'ready to fight to the end'". Yahoo! News. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
  26. 1 2 3 4 "France: 3 Americans subdue gunman on high-speed train". Associated Press. 22 August 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  27. ↑ "Train shooting victim played dead before gunman was overpowered". CBS News. 26 August 2015. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  28. 1 2 "Lajes Field Airman, fellow travelers stop attack on French train". USAFE AFs Africa Public Affairs. 22 August 2015. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
  29. 1 2 "U.S. soldier wounded helping to overpower gunman on train in France". Reuters. 22 August 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  30. 1 2 "French train shooting: Brit helped restrain gunman as US soldier reveals how he thwarted attack". Daily Mirror. 22 August 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  31. 1 2 "Attaque du Thalys : sans eux " nous serions tous morts "" [Thalys Attack: Without them, "we would all be dead."]. Le Monde (in French). 22 August 2015. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
  32. 1 2 3 "Relatives proud of 3 Americans who subdued gunman on train". Associated Press. 22 August 2015. Archived from the original on 24 August 2015. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
  33. 1 2 "France high-speed train shooting: Aftermath of attack". The Daily Telegraph. 22 August 2015. Archived from the original on 22 August 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  34. 1 2 3 4 "'I realised the only way to survive was to go for him' – British hero describes moment he and three Americans beat up train terrorist". The Daily Telegraph. 22 August 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  35. ↑ "Deux blessés par balle dans un Thalys reliant Amsterdam à Paris" [Two wounded in a Thalys going from Amsterdam to Paris]. Le Monde.fr (in French). Le Monde/AFP. 21 August 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  36. ↑ "French official: 2 Americans subdued train gunman". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 26 December 2018. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
  37. ↑ Bitterman, Jim (24 August 2015). "France train attack: What we know about suspect Ayoub El Khazzani?". Cnn.com. CNN. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  38. 1 2 3 4 5 Nossiter, Adam (22 August 2015). "A Shot, a Glimpse of an AK-47, and U.S. Servicemen Pounced on Gunman on Train to France". The New York Times . Retrieved 25 August 2018.
  39. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Europe – Briton who helped stop French train attack says 'no hero'". France 24. 7 August 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  40. ↑ Train gunman had terrorist intent, French prosecutor says. CNN , Don Melvin, August 25, 2015. Retrieved June 13, 2019.
  41. ↑ Nossiter, Adam (22 August 2015). "A Shot, a Glimpse of an AK-47, and U.S. Servicemen Pounced on Gunman on Train to France". The New York Times. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  42. ↑ Tenia, Mark (24 August 2015). "Midlothian man's family speaks out following attack on French train". wric.com. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  43. ↑ Callus, Andrew (23 August 2015). "U.S. airman in French train shooting plugged passenger wound with fingers". Reuters. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
  44. ↑ Adam Nossiter (22 August 2015). "A Shot, a Glimpse of an AK-47, and U.S. Servicemen Pounced on Gunman on Train". The New York Times . Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  45. ↑ "France train attack: What we know about suspect Ayoub El Khazzani?". CNN. 25 August 2015. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
  46. ↑ "France train shooting: What we know". BBC News. 24 August 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  47. ↑ "A quoi sert la fiche S?". i-Télé. 23 August 2015. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
  48. ↑ Chrisafis, Angelique (22 August 2015). "France train attack: Americans overpower gunman on Paris express". The Guardian.
  49. ↑ "Thalys : El-Khazzani mis en examen et écroué pour une attaque " ciblée et préméditée"" [Thalys: El-Khazzani investigated and jailed for an "targeted and premeditated" attack]. Le Monde (in French). 25 August 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  50. 1 2 "France train shooting: Gunman known to police". BBC News. 22 August 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  51. ↑ Badcock, James; Barrett, David (23 August 2015). "Terrorist's father speaks for the first time". The Telegraph. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
  52. 1 2 Barriaux, Marianne; Froissart, Pauline (23 August 2015). "French investigators quiz 'dumbfounded' gunman". Yahoo! News. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
  53. ↑ "El autor del atentado contra el tren Ámsterdam-París vivió en Algeciras [The author of the attack on the Amsterdam-Paris train lived in Algeciras]". El País (in Spanish). 22 August 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  54. 1 2 3 4 "France train gunman identified as Islamist militant". Reuters. 22 August 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  55. ↑ "Suspected Amsterdam-Paris train attacker spent seven years in Spain". El Pais. 22 August 2015. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  56. ↑ "France train gunman 'dumbfounded' by terrorism allegations, lawyer says". ABC News. 23 August 2015. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
  57. ↑ "US airman credits gut instinct for subduing train gunman". The Belfast Telegraph. 23 August 2015. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
  58. ↑ "France train suspect watched jihadi video, prosecutor says". Yahoo! News. 25 August 2015. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  59. ↑ Izadi, Elahe (25 August 2015). "Suspect in high-speed train attack had 'terrorist intent,' French officials say". The Washington Post. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  60. ↑ "Thalys train gunman 'did not intend to commit mass murder', lawyer says". France 24. 15 December 2016. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
  61. ↑ "Paris attack guns 'bought by Amedy Coulibaly in Belgium'". The Daily Telegraph. 14 January 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  62. ↑ "Belgian market deals in death". The New Zealand Herald. 24 August 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  63. ↑ "French train attack: Belgian station is close to notorious weapons supply line". The Daily Telegraph. 23 August 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  64. ↑ Randolph, Eric (25 August 2015). "Moroccan charged with terror attack on French train". Yahoo! News. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  65. ↑ Elaine Ganley; Nicolas Vaux-Montagny (16 November 2020), Trial in France for extremist foiled by 3 Americans on train, Associated Press
  66. ↑ "Attaque du Thalys: un an après, le mystère El Khazzani reste entier" (in French). BFM TV. 21 August 2016.
  67. ↑ 4 to stand trial for IS train attack thwarted by Americans, AP News , December 19, 2019. retrieved May 30, 2020.
  68. ↑ Train hero Spencer Stone hospitalized in France as terrorist trial continues, Sacramento Bee (Associated Press), Jeffrey Schaeffer, November 19, 2020. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  69. ↑ Gunman Sentenced to Life in Prison for 2015 Attack on Paris-bound Train, New York Times , Constance Mehut, December 17, 2020. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  70. 1 2 3 4 "Le tireur du Thalys condamné à la prison à perpétuité". www.20minutes.fr (in French). Retrieved 27 December 2020.
  71. ↑ Raziye Akkoc (24 August 2015). "French hero's wife: 'He looked at me and said, 'I'm hit.' He thought he was going to die' – live". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 24 August 2015. The 28-year-old French banker known only as "Damien A" was the first person to tackle the gunman, but does not want to be named
  72. ↑ Wagner, Meg; Greene, Leonard (26 August 2015). "3 Americans and Brit honored in France as 5th train hero is identified as French-American professor". The New York Daily News. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
  73. ↑ Ellis, Ralph; Karimi, Faith; Fantz, Ashley; Robertson, Nic (25 August 2015). "Train heroes 'gave us an example of what is possible,' says French President". CNN. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  74. ↑ "French train attack heroes to be awarded Légion d'honneur". The Guardian. 24 August 2015. Retrieved 9 September 2015.
  75. ↑ Dwilson, Stephanie Dube (22 August 2015). "Chris Norman, Belgium Train Hero: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  76. 1 2 3 Sangree, Hudson (23 August 2015). "Carmichael childhood, faith unite friends who stopped train attack". The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  77. 1 2 Miner, Colin (27 August 2015). "Alek Skarlatos: 'Good to be home with family'". KOIN. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
  78. ↑ "Airman wounded in train attack being treated at US military hospital in Germany, doing well". Fox News . Associated Press. 25 August 2015. Archived from the original on 28 August 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  79. ↑ "Hero American: Train attacker was ready to fight, but "so were we"". CBS News. 23 August 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  80. ↑ Har, Janie (2 September 2015). "California Man Recounts Tackling Gunman on Paris-Bound Train". ABC News. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  81. 1 2 Chrisafis, Angelique; Kassam, Ashifa (24 August 2015). "French train attack men given Légion d'honneur for 'preventing massacre'". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 September 2015.
  82. ↑ "Americans thwart train attack in France". CBS News. Retrieved 17 September 2015.
  83. ↑ "Mark Moogalian receives France's highest honour". Public Radio of Armenia. 14 September 2015. Retrieved 17 September 2015.
  84. ↑ Marteau, Stéphanie (6 February 2018). "Déclarons notre flamme à Damien A, le très discret héros du Thalys". Vice.com (in French). Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  85. 1 2 "Le courage des héros américains et britanniques du Thalys salué après l'attaque [The courage of the American and British heroes in Thalys commended after the attack]". FranceTV (in French). 22 August 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  86. ↑ "Sac State salutes senior who helped foil terror attack". Sacramento State News. 22 August 2015. Retrieved 17 September 2015.
  87. ↑ "Paris train heroes to receive medals at Pentagon". Stars and Stripes. 14 September 2015. Retrieved 17 September 2015.
  88. ↑ "Spencer Stone, French train hero, promoted to staff sergeant". Airforce Times. 1 November 2015. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
  89. ↑ "Spencer and Sadler receive medal from Belgium". The Daily Dot. 8 October 2015. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
  90. ↑ Americans who thwarted train terror attack become French citizens, France 24, 1 February 2019
  91. ↑ "Obama praises U.S. service members' action on French train". Reuters. 21 August 2015. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
  92. ↑ Karimi, Faith (23 August 2015). "Train heroes: The men who helped avert a massacre in Europe". CNN . Retrieved 23 August 2015.
  93. ↑ "Breedlove: U.S. Troops 'Heroes' in Train Attack". U.S. Department of Defense. 23 August 2015. Archived from the original on 23 August 2015. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
  94. ↑ "Voilà comment Koen Geens entend lutter contre le trafic d'armes [How Koen Geens intends to fight arms trafficking]". 7s7 (in French). 24 August 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  95. ↑ Chardon, Frédéric (23 August 2015). "Koen Geens veut lutter contre le trafic d'armes vers la Belgique Koen Geens wants to fight against the trafficking of arms to Belgium". La Libre (in French). Retrieved 25 August 2015. "Mais il est évident qu'il y a beaucoup trop de kalachnikovs illégales et démilitarisées qui arrivent en Belgique en provenance d'Europe de l'Est", poursuit Koen Geens. ["But it is evident that there are far too many illegal demilitarised Kalashnikovs arriving in Belgium from Eastern Europe", continued Koen Geens.]
  96. ↑ "Attentat déjoué dans un Thalys : le ministre de la Justice avance 4 points d'action pour lutter contre le trafic d'armes [Attack foiled in a Thalys: the Minister of Justice puts forward 4 points of action to fight against arms trafficking]" (in French). lavenir.net. 24 August 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  97. ↑ "France train attack: Europe 'to tighten rail security'". BBC News. 29 August 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  98. ↑ "Belgium steps up security measures after train attack". News24. 22 August 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  99. ↑ "Belgium calls on neighbors for more security on cross-border trains". Yahoo! News. 22 August 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  100. ↑ Firn, David, Buck, Tobias (23 August 2015). "Terror attack on train puts spotlight on Schengen". Financial Times . Retrieved 24 August 2015.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  101. ↑ Hughes, Chris (25 August 2015). "French train shooting: Gunman in bare feet with bandaged eyes in court appearance". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  102. 1 2 "Attaque dans un Thalys: le parquet fédéral ouvre une enquête" [Attack On Board the Thalys: Federal Prosecutor's Office Launches Investigation]. Le Soir.be (in French). Le Soir. 22 August 2015. Archived from the original on 3 September 2015. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  103. 1 2 "Spanish police search family house of Moroccan detained in France for high-speed train attack". Fox News Channel. 1 September 2015. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
  104. 1 2 3 Ogier, Agnes; Pepy, Guillaume (23 August 2015). "Déclaration conjointe J-Hugues Anglade et sa compagne" [Joint Declaration of J-Huges Anglade and Companion](PDF). Thalys.com (in French). Thalys Press Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 September 2016. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  105. ↑ M. M.; C. Bq; Belga; Agence France-Presse (23 August 2015). "Attaque dans un Thalys: le suspect prétend qu'il voulait braquer le train" [Attack on the Thalys Train: Suspect Claims He Only Wanted to Rob the Train]. Le Soir.be (in French). Le Soir. Archived from the original on 6 September 2015. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  106. ↑ Newmark, Zack (21 August 2015). "Three hurt in Amsterdam-to-Paris train "terrorist attack"". NlTimes.nl. Archived from the original on 23 August 2015. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  107. ↑ "Qui est Abdelhamid Abaaoud, le commanditaire présumé des attentats ciblé par le RAID à Saint-Denis ?". Le Monde.fr. 16 November 2015. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
  108. ↑ no by-line (19 November 2015). "Paris attacks: 'Ringleader' Abdelhamid Abaaoud killed in raid". BBC News. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
  109. ↑ Pieters, Janene. "New arrest in foiled Amsterdam-Paris train attack". NL Times. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  110. ↑ Belgian prosecutors charge two people, in foiled Thalys train attack, France 24 , October 31, 2017. Retrieved June 15, 2019.
  111. ↑ Belgium transfers to France man linked to foiled train attack, RFI , February 2, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2019
  112. ↑ "Internal report of Thalys" (PDF). Thalys (in Dutch). 18 September 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
  113. ↑ "Internal report of Thalys" (PDF). Thalys (in French). 18 September 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
  114. ↑ "L'attaque du Thalys reconstituée alors que l'enquête touche à sa fin" [Thalys attack reconstituted as investigation comes to an end]. La Croix (in French). afp. 18 September 2019. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  115. ↑ Blachere, Emilie (22 August 2015). "Anglade: 'Rendre hommage à leur courage héroïque' [Anglade: Honor their heroic courage]". Paris Match (in French). Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  116. 1 2 "Thalys : Jean-Hugues Anglade nuance ses propos" [Thalys: Jean-Hugues Anglade clarifies his words]. Le Figaro (in French). 24 August 2015. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
  117. ↑ Jamet, Constance (22 August 2015). "Jean-Hugues Anglade s'insurge contre le personnel du TGV, Thalys répond [Jean-Hugues Anglade rebels against the staff of the TGV, Thalys answers]". Le Figaro (in French). Retrieved 23 August 2015.
  118. ↑ "Thalys: polémique autour de la diffusion d'images d'Ayoub El-Khazzani menotté" [Thalys: Controversy over Publication of Images of Ayoub El-Khazzani in Handcuffs]. Le Monde . 26 August 2015. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
  119. ↑ "Thalys: yeux bandés, pieds nus... l'arrivée du suspect à Paris est-elle légale?" [Thalys: blindfolded, barefoot... Was the Arrival of the Suspect in Paris Legal?]. Metronews . 25 August 2015. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
  120. ↑ "Thalys: l'avocat d'El Khazzani dénonce "un traitement inhumain"" [Thalys: Attorney for Khazzani denounces 'Inhumane Treatment']. Le Point . 26 August 2015. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
  121. ↑ "Le parquet de Paris met en garde i-Télé pour avoir montré Ayoub El-Khazzani menotté" [Paris Prosecutor's Office Issues Warning to i-Télé for Showing El-Khazzani in Handcuffs]. Le Monde . 1 September 2015. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
  122. ↑ Kroll, Justin (11 July 2017). "Clint Eastwood Casts Real-Life Heroes in Next Film 'The 15:17 to Paris' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 11 July 2017.

Sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.