Update III:
In continuing updates, the U.K. Telegraph is providing additional details about the foiled attack on the Amsterdam to Paris train on Friday evening.
The Telegraph has identified the passenger who was first to attempt to grab the gunman’s AK-47 as Mark Mooligan, an American-born professor at the Sorbonne.
The Telegraph:
[Mr.Mooligan] tackled the Kalashnikov assault rifle off El-Khazzani, who then drew a sidearm and shot him in the neck before taking back the rifle, his sister has revealed.
.Three other US citizens including two military personnel, and Chris Norman, a British businessman then stepped in to disarm and overpower the assailant.
.
Mr. Mooligan’s sister Julia said: “He made sure his wife was hidden behind a seat. She watched the whole thing happen.
.
“He did manage to get the weapon away from the gunman.
.
“But the gunman then pulled another gun and shot my brother.
“[Mr. Mooligan] acted instinctively to protect his wife Isabella Risacher, who was also aboard the Thalys train,” says The Telegraph.
President Francois Hollande will present the Legion of Honor medal to the three Americans and to British businessman Chris Norman.
The Telegraph:
A French citizen who also tackled the suspected jihadist but who wishes to remain anonymous will receive the honour at a later date, as will a Franco-American passenger [Mr. Mooligan] who was hit by a bullet and is recovering in hospital, the source told AFP.
The National Order of the Legion of Honor (Ordre National de la Légion d’Honneur) was created in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte and is “the highest honor the country can offer to either a foreigner or a French native…It is designed to honor exceptional deeds.”
Update II:
More details are emerging on the courageous servicemen who tackled the gunman on the Amsterdam-Paris train, courtesy the Stars and Stripes:
Airman 1st Class Spencer Stone (above), Oregon National Guardsman Alek Skarlatos and Anthony Sadler tackled the gunman and wrestled away his AK-47 semi-automatic rifle before the man could open fire. They then tended to a passenger who had been wounded by the gunman.
Stone is assigned to the 65th Air Base Group at Lajes Field in the Azores. Skarlatos, a specialist, returned from a deployment to Afghanistan in July, the Oregon TV station KATU reported. Sadler is a senior at Sacramento State University, according to reports. The three were traveling together on vacation.
Stone’s leaders at Lajes praised his response to the incident.
“These are the actions of a dedicated airman who answered the call and did what was needed to be done and made a difference,” 65th Air Base Group commander Col. Richard C. Sheffe was quoted as saying in an Air Force news release. “We wish Airman Stone and all others a fast recovery and thank them for their actions.”
President Obama called the three men Saturday to congratulate them for their courage and quick action, The Associated Press reported. Obama wished Stone a full and speedy recovery and expressed how proud all Americans are of their bravery.
Earlier in the day, the White House issued a statement saying that that the servicemembers’ “heroic actions may have prevented a far worse tragedy.”
The three men told reporters they heard a gunshot and breaking glass before they saw the gunman. Stone was the first to tackle him and was joined quickly by Skarlatos, who helped wrestle away the AK-47. The gunman also had a handgun, and he cut Stone with a box-cutter at one point in the tussle, according to reports.
After subduing him, the group beat him unconscious and bound his legs and arms, they told reporters. Stone then turned to help the injured passenger.
Skarlatos, 22, from Roseburg, Ore., had been in Germany for 10 days with other friends before joining Sadler and Stone in Amsterdam, according to The Oregonian. A member of the Guard for three years, he had returned home from Afghanistan in July, according to the news site.
The office of French President Francois Hollande said Saturday the leader would meet with those who helped subdue the gunman to “express France’s gratitude.”
French actor Jean-Hugues Anglade, a passenger on the train, was injured when he broke the glass to sound an emergency alarm. He told the magazine Paris-Match that passengers thought they were going to die “because we were prisoners of this train,” AP reported.
“We were in a bad spot but with good people,” Anglade said. “We were incredibly lucky to have American soldiers with us. I pay homage to their heroic courage and thank them. Without them, we all would be dead.”
Please watch a video that was taken immediately after the gunman was tackled, below.
Update I:
For those who are following this story, the U.K. Telegraph has almost minute by minute updates on this story, including photos, interviews and videos.
One of the updates:
More details on the phone call made by President Obama to USAF Airman First Class Spencer Stone, Army National Guard Specialist Aleksander Skarlatos, and Anthony Sadler to commend and congratulate them for their courage and quick action aboard their Paris-bound. Eric Schultz, White House spokesman, said Mr Obama expressed gratitude to the trio for their heroic actions forestalling an even greater tragedy. He wished Mr Stone a full and speedy recovery, and expressed how proud all Americans were of their extraordinary bravery.
Original Post:
The U.S. European Command has announced the names of two of the three Americans who subdued an armed gunman Friday night on a train traveling from Amsterdam to Paris.
The two military heroes are U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Spencer Stone, assigned to the 65th Air Base Group, Lajes Air Base, Azores and Oregon Army National Guard Spc. Alek Skarlatos. The name of the third American, a civilian, has not been released by the Department of Defense, but other sources give his name as Anthony Sadler.
Stone, who suffered non-life threatening injuries in the attack, is currently being treated in a French medical facility, according to D0D.
It is also reported that President Obama will make a telephone call to the two Americans who are not in hospital and who will be driven to the US Embassy in Paris by diplomatic staff.
U.S. European Command Commander Air Force Gen. Philip M. Breedlove added his voice to others who are calling three Americans heroes for their actions Friday night.
“These men are heroes. Actions like this clearly illustrate the courage and commitment our young men and women have all the time, whether they are on duty or on leave,” Breedlove said. “We are extremely proud of their efforts and now are praying for our injured airman to have a speedy recovery.”
Lead photo: Airman 1st Class Spencer Stone. U.S. Air Force photo
Follow Dorian de Wind on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ddewind99
