Last Friday, a Paris- bound high speed train was shaken by a terrorist who open fired with an AK 47 injuring two passengers. Fortunately, three U.S citizens, two of whom were soldiers, were able to apprehend the culprit. Also, a British citizen was able to help in tying up the suspect.
According to the guardian.com, the terrorist was Moroccan or of Moroccan origin. The incident happened on the last carriage of the train which has more than 500 passengers on board. Many were relieved that the three men had courageously taken care of the situation, saving a lot of lives.
Two days after the attack, European officers are facing the possibilities of difficult situation due to terrorism on soft targets such as transportation terminals or public places. The authorities and security experts are predicting that Europe may enter "a new climate of uncertainty" that poses danger even to usual activities like riding a train. Last Friday's suspect, Alyoub El Khazzani, 26, was already identified by the French government's list as a security threat. Records also show that he went to Syria for jihad and he's been living in France after being approved by France's constitutional council.
Officials are concerned as to how Alyoub was able to board a train, fully armed and with a sack of weapons, without anyone noticing.
According to nytimes.com, France's president, François Hollande, gave the three American the highest honor France can bestow, Legion d'Honneur in return of saving hundreds of lives riding the train. Jean- Charles Brisard, a French security consultant and terrorism expert, said that Europe is now "faced with unpredictable terrorism." He also added "terrorists henceforth will be choosing soft targets, those where there is little security and that's why he chose a train - because there is little security."
After interrogating the suspect on Sunday, Alyoub was apparently "bewildered" by terrorism accusations and said that he's motive was to rob the passengers only but it was later discarded by the authorities after Alek Skarlatos, one of the Americans who fought with Alyoub, said that the suspect's ammunition was too great for a simple robbery case.
