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#1 Sloan

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Posted 21 August 2015 - 04:55 PM

 

 

Americans Subdue Gunman Who Unleashed Attack Aboard High-Speed Train Bound for Paris

 

Two Americans subdued a man armed with an automatic weapon and a knife after he attacked people aboard a high-speed train bound for Paris, officials said.

http://abcnews.go.co...ory?id=33233626



#2 CNJRoss

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Posted 21 August 2015 - 07:50 PM

AP 8/21:

 

France: 2 Americans subdue gunman on high-speed train

 

 PARIS (AP) -- A gunman opened fire on a high-speed train traveling from Amsterdam to Paris on Friday, wounding two people before two American passengers subdued him, officials said.

 

French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, speaking in Arras in northern France where the suspected was detained, said one of the Americans was hospitalized with serious wounds. Their names were not immediately released.

 

Philippe Lorthiois, an official with the Alliance police union, said on i-Tele that the two Americans were soldiers. In Washington, the Pentagon said it "can only confirm that one U.S. military member was injured in the incident. The injury is not life-threatening."

 

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#3 CNJRoss

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Posted 21 August 2015 - 08:51 PM

CNN, 8/21:

 

2 members of U.S. military stop Islamist attacker on train in Belgium

 

 (CNN)  A massacre on a high-speed train in Belgium was prevented Friday when two members of the U.S. military in civilian clothing surprised an Islamist militant, authorities said.

 

The suspect was loading his automatic Kalashnikov rifle in a toilet, apparently preparing to attack, when the service members confronted him, said a European counterterrorism official.

 

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#4 CNJRoss

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Posted 22 August 2015 - 02:12 PM

AP 8/22:

 

3 Americans praised for subduing gunman on European train

 

 ARRAS, France (AP) -- One serves in the Air Force, another recently served in Afghanistan in the National Guard, another is studying physical therapy in California - and all three Americans are being hailed as heroes for disarming a gunman on a high-speed train who may have been known to intelligence services in three countries.

 

A French citizen, who stumbled on the gunman, a Kalashnikov strapped across his shoulder, also is being given kudos as the first to try to subdue him. And a British businessman jumped in to help subdue the gunman.

 

Air Force serviceman Spencer Stone remained hospitalized Saturday after being stabbed in the attack Friday night as the train from Amsterdam to Paris traveled through Belgium, though the Pentagon said the injury was not life-threatening.  .  .  .

 

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#5 CNJRoss

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Posted 22 August 2015 - 03:02 PM

DoD news release, 8/22:

 

Defense Officials Praise Troops' Actions in Train Attack

 


WASHINGTON, August 22, 2015 — In a statement released today, Defense Secretary Ash Carter praised three Americans for their actions yesterday on a train outside of Brussels, Belgium.

 

"On behalf of all the men and women of the Department of Defense, I want to thank the brave individuals, including two members of the U.S. military, who stepped forward to prevent an even greater tragedy from taking place aboard that train," Carter said.

 

U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Spencer Stone, assigned to the 65th Air Base Group, Lajes Air Base, Azores, Oregon Army National Guard Spc. Alek Skarlatos and a civilian friend were traveling together via train on personal leave. The men took immediate action to subdue an armed gunman before he could engage his automatic weapon on the train.

 

"My thoughts and prayers today are with those injured in the attack, including Airman 1st Class Spencer Stone, whose selfless actions saved lives. I wish him a speedy recovery," the defense secretary said.

 

"These men are heroes," said U.S. European Command Commander Air Force Gen. Philip M. Breedlove.

 

"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," he said. "We are extremely proud of their efforts and now are praying for our injured airman to have a speedy recovery."

 

Stone, who suffered non-life threatening injuries in the attack, is currently being treated in a French medical facility.

 

"(Stone and Skarlatos) are two reasons why -- on duty and off -- ours is finest fighting force the world has ever known," Carter said.



#6 CNJRoss

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Posted 07 September 2015 - 07:48 PM

NPR 8/28:

 

Morning Edition
 

 

After Foiled Mass Shooting, France Examines Train Safety

 

French officials are hosting an emergency meeting on train security in Paris. Saturday's meeting follows last week's thwarted mass shooting against passengers on a high-speed train bound for Paris.

 

Transcript

 

 

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

 

One thing is certain about the man who boarded a Paris-bound train last week with an assault rifle, handgun and ammunition clips. If he had tried to board a plane that way, he would have been stopped. Sorry, sir, you can't keep that in your carry-on. Airlines screen passengers in a way that very few European trains do. Securing Europe's vast rail network is considered next to impossible, in fact. NPR's Eleanor Beardsley reports on why.

 

ELEANOR BEARDSLEY, BYLINE: Paris's Gare du Nord is Europe's busiest train station, with more than 200 million passengers a year and trains departing to international destinations such as London, Brussels and Amsterdam. The Gare du Nord feels like a small city. Sue Mansfield is travelling back to London on the high-speed Eurostar with her family. She says despite last week's attack, she doesn't believe more screening and checkpoints are the answer.

 

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#7 CNJRoss

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Posted 17 September 2015 - 07:04 PM

U.S. DOD news release, 9/17:

 

Carter Honors 3 who Stopped Gunman on Paris-Bound Train

 

150917-D-NI589-423.JPG

 

Defense Secretary Ash Carter, right, walks with Airman 1st Class Spencer Stone, Oregon Army National Guard Spc. Alek Skarlatos and Anthony Sadler, Sept. 17, 2015, prior to an awards ceremony in the Pentagon courtyard honoring them for their heroic actions in stopping a gunman on a Paris-bound train outside of Brussels last month.  DoD photo by Glenn Fawcett

 

 WASHINGTON, September 17, 2015 — On Aug. 21, three childhood friends were on a train bound for Paris when they heard a gunshot. Amidst screams and commotion, they quickly focused on a man wielding an AK-47 rifle, said Defense Secretary Ash Carter said today during a Pentagon ceremony honoring the three men.

 

The secretary thanked Oregon Army National Guard Spc. Alek Skarlatos, Air Force Airman 1st Class Spencer Stone and Anthony Sadler for their valor.

 

Carter described the chaotic scene on the train, where passengers were hiding, unsure of what to do, or running away. While that was happening, Skarlatos said, "Let's go," and the three sprinted toward the gunman, who had his weapon pointed at them.

 

Stone tackled the assailant and all three men worked to disarm him, the defense secretary continued. Besides the AK-47, the attacker was also armed with an automatic pistol, 270 rounds of ammunition, a box cutter and a bottle of gasoline.

 

"As we know, Spencer was stabbed in the effort," Carter said

 

After they knocked out the gunman, they tended to other injured on board the train before paramedics and police arrived, he added.

 

The defense secretary referred to the entire ordeal as "an amazing story, right out of a movie."

 

Returning to the theme of "Let's go," he said that "if this sounds familiar, that’s because it is," noting the similarity to the phrase used by a passenger on United Flight 93; "Let's roll."

 

Carter added that some of those passengers also "stood up and fought back against the terrorists who had aimed the plane toward Washington. While those heroes were lost, we will always remember and appreciate their courage and sacrifice."

 

Everyone in DoD -- uniformed personnel and civilians -- has "chosen to dedicate themselves to standing between order and disorder, between the way of life we cherish and those who threaten it," the defense secretary continued. They've all been willing and ready to say, "Let's go."

 

Medals For Heroism

 

Carter then presented the Soldier's Medal, Airman's Medal and Secretary of Defense Medal for Valor, to Skarlatos, Stone and Sadler respectively. The medals are the highest commendations for non-combat bravery that the Defense Department can bestow.

 

Additionally, Stone was awarded a Purple Heart Medal because he suffered multiple lacerations to the face, neck and thumb during the struggle. Carter noted that DoD has determined that since the event was deemed an act of terrorism, the Purple Heart could be awarded.

 

Previously, all three were awarded the Legion of Honor, France's highest recognition.

 

Skarlatos is with the Oregon Army National Guard’s 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team. He recently re-enlisted, calling the Guard "fantastic."

 

Stone is a medic, assigned to the 65th Air Base Group at Lajes Air Base in Portugal. Next month, Stone is transferring to Travis Air Force Base in California.

 

Sadler started school this year at Sacramento State University "where I’m sure he’ll have the best 'what I did on my summer vacation' story on campus this fall," Carter quipped.

 

After the ceremony, Sadler told the media that he "couldn't think of two better people to be with in this situation."

 

It was the first time any of the men had been in the Pentagon or to Washington, D.C., and all said they were overwhelmed with the warm welcome they received from everyone, including the president.



#8 CNJRoss

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Posted 02 October 2015 - 09:58 PM

AP via WTOP radio, 10/2:
 

 

Train hero avoided Oregon rampage due to TV show rehearsal

 

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Alek Skarlatos, one of three Americans hailed as heroes for stopping a terrorist attack on a Paris-bound train in August, would have been at the Oregon college where a gunman killed nine people if Skarlatos hadn’t been in Los Angeles to rehearse for ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars.”

 

Skarlatos, 22, told the network’s “Good Morning America” program that he would have been attending a class at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon, when the man opened fire on a writing class Thursday, ABC News reported (http://abcn.ws/1YUbsvv ) Friday.

 

Skarlatos was asked if he would have taken down the shooter if he had been in the classroom.

 

“I would have tried anyways,” he said.

 

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#9 KevinKorell

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Posted 08 October 2015 - 03:14 PM

KTLA-TV, Channel 5 in Los Angeles, CA, 10/8/15:

 


 

France Train Hero Spencer Stone in Serious Condition After Being Stabbed Multiple Times in Sacramento

 

 

France train hero Spencer Stone, stabbed early Thursday in Sacramento, is in serious condition at the UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, the hospital system said.

The latest



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#10 KevinKorell

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Posted 10 October 2015 - 02:31 PM

Fox News, 10/10/15:


Witness reportedly says French train hero was protecting woman during stabbing

 

U.S. airman Spencer Stone, hailed as a hero in the French train attack in August, was protecting a woman when he was stabbed during a street fight outside a California bar, a witness says.

Update



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