Sign in to comment!

Login

Fox News Home

Watch Live

Trending

Video

Politics

U.S.

Opinion

Entertainment

Tech

Science

Health

Travel

Lifestyle

World

Sports

On Air

More from Fox News

Fox News

Fox Business

Fox News Latino

Fox News Go

Fox News Radio

Fox Nation

Fox News Insider

MENU

HomeFoxNews.com

World Home

U.N.

Conflicts

Terrorism

Disasters

Global Economy

Environment

Religion

Scandals

Regions

WORLD

3 Americans recount how they subdued Paris train gunman

Published August 23, 2015FoxNews.com

Facebook516 Twitter690 livefyre Email Print

USHEROES823.jpg

From left, U.S. Ambassador to France Jane D. Hartley, U.S. Airman Spencer Stone, Anthony Sadler, and

National Guardsman Alek Skarlatos at press conference in Paris, France, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2015.. (AP

Photo/Francois Mori)

The three Americans hailed as heroes for tackling a man carrying an AK-47 on a Paris-bound train and

stopping the gunman from killing those onboard spoke publicly of the encounter for the first time

Sunday at the U.S. Embassy in Paris.

U.S. Airman Spencer Stone, 23, National Guardsman Alek Skarlatos, 22, from Roseburg, Ore., and their

friend, Anthony Sadler, 23, recounted how they overpowered the gunman, a suspected Islamic militant,

as the train sped through Belgium Friday.

He seemed like he was ready to fight to the end, said Stone. So were we.

Stone said he awakened from a deep sleep before springing into action and subduing the attacker.

One of his friends "just hit me on the shoulder and said 'Let's go,'" before moving in to tackle the

gunman.

He said he turned around and saw a man holding an assault rifle and that it "looked like it was jammed

and it wasn't working."

In his first remarks since Friday's attack on an Amsterdam-to-Paris train, Stone said he and his friends

wrestled the gunman to the ground and choked him unconscious.

Stone said he was still trying to comprehend what happened.

"It feels very unreal, he said. It feels like a dream."

The three Americans have been friends since childhood. Stone said he trusted his friends completely to

help him take down the gunman.

If it wasnt for them, I would be dead, he said.

Stone, who was wearing a sling on his left arm, was wounded in the attack and said he will receive

further medical treatment in Germany.

Stone, who said he was stabbed in the neck and sliced on his hand, said the attacker kept pulling out

weapons from his bag.

The airman said his thumb was reattached during his hospital stay in Lille. He thanked the French

doctors, police officers and others.

Skarlatos said they acted instinctively when they saw the man enter the train car with the gun.

We kind of acted, he said. There wasnt much thinking.

U.S. Ambassador Jane Hartley praised the three Americans, calling them heroes.

"We often use the word hero and, in this case, I know that word has never been more appropriate,"

Hartley said. "They are truly heroes. When most of us would run away, Spencer, Alek and Anthony ran

into the line of fire, saying `Let's go.' Those words changed the fate of many."

The press conference came a day after a French official close to the investigation, who spoke on

condition of anonymity because the investigation was ongoing, identified the attacker to The Associated

Press as Ayoub el-Khazzani, 26, who was known to authorities in France, Belgium and Spain.

Officials didnt disclose a possible motive for the Friday attack, but Interior Minister Bernard Cazenueve

said Spanish authorities had advised French intelligence about the suspect because he belongs to the

radical Islamist movement.

Authorities say El-Khazzani is an Islamic extremist who spent time in Syria, while his lawyer said he was

homeless and trying to rob the train.

El-Khazzani was being questioned by French counter-terrorism police, who on Saturday confirmed

through fingerprints their suspicions that he was the same man who had been brought to their attention

in February 2014, a French official told The Associated Press.

French authorities said the alleged gunman had lived in the southern Spanish city of Algeciras,

frequenting a mosque which is under surveillance there.

He was transferred Saturday morning to anti-terror police headquarters outside Paris, where he could

be held for up to 96 hours before being formally charged with a crime.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

More from Fox News

Americans tackle, disarm gunman in France

Americans heroes describe taking down gunman on Paris train

Report: US soldiers overpower gunman on French train

Gunman with assault rifle opens fire on train in France

Putin shows his love for stunts by riding to the bottom of the Black Sea to see ancient ship

Islamic State leader reportedly raped American hostage

Trending in World

1 World's oldest message in a bottle discovered in Germany

2 North Korea approves final attack on South Korea as tensions increase in region

3 The Latest on Koreas: Talks resume at border village

4 Rival Koreas' high-level meeting adjourned after stretching late into the night

5 UN investigators said to take nude photo, ask about prostitution in under-age rape case

See all Trends

Sponsored Stories

Recommended by

Watch now...

Greta: Yes, Donald Trump helped Tahmooressi

Greta: Yes, Donald Trump helped Tahmooressi

America's 9/11 ride honors victims, heroes of Sept. 11

America's 9/11 ride honors victims, heroes of Sept. 11

Ingraham on email scandal: Clinton may have met her match

Ingraham on email scandal: Clinton may have met her match

Sections

Home

Video

Politics

U.S.

Opinion

Entertainment

Tech

Science

Health

Travel

Lifestyle

World

Sports

Weather

On Air

Tools

Live Video

Trending

Newsletters

Alerts

Mobile

Podcasts

Radio

Fox News Store

Apps & Downloads

About

On Air Personalities

Careers

College Students

Fox Around the World

Advertise With Us

Terms of Use

Privacy Policy

Ad Choices

Contact Us

Email Newsroom

FAQ

Media Relations

Closed Captioning Policy

Follow

Facebook

Twitter

Google+

LinkedIn

RSS

Newsletters

Fox NewsBack to Top

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 2015 FOX News Network,

LLC. All rights reserved. All market data delayed 20 minutes. Privacy - Terms - FAQ