×
GreekEnglish

×
  • Politics
  • Diaspora
  • World
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Cooking
Wednesday
25
Feb 2026
weather symbol
Athens 12°C
  • Home
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • World
  • Diaspora
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Mediterranean Cooking
  • Weather
Contact follow Protothema:
Powered by Cloudevo
> World

Greek-American US serviceman among passengers that subdued terrorist

Obama praises heroism during high-speed train attack

Newsroom August 22 06:04

US President has Barack Obama praised the heroism of three Americans, including a Greek-American serviceman from Oregon, who subdued a gunman on a high-speed train speeding from Amsterdam to Paris on Friday.
The Moroccan suspect was beaten unconscious by passengers on the train, but not before injuring one man severely.

The trio of Americans were identified as Anthony Sadler, a college student in Sacramento, and two US military personnel:
Spencer Stone of Sacramento and National Guardsman Alek Skarlatos of Roseburg, Oregon.
Belgian authorities, who lead the investigation, given that the incident occurred as the train was in Belgium believe the attack was an act of terror.
Belgian federal prosecutors said they were working closely with France and had opened their own inquiry “on the basis that the suspect had boarded the train in Brussels”.
The Associated Press reports that the Belgian government has stepped up rail security.
Before the incident, Spanish authorities had warned Belgium about a suspect in the country with links to Islamic extremists. However, the suspect held in France has not been officially identified.
French actor Jean-Hugues Anglade who was on board the train accused staff of barricaded themselves in their office during the altercation with the attacker, and not letting passengers in even when they were banging on the door.
“Mr Anglade has seen what he has seen, something very traumatizing. I can only tell you what we told our agent. And the second officer walked around the train just after the shooting. All this happened very quickly. What I know to say is that the Thalys train staff fulfilled its mission.”

Skarlatos: He gun was faulty

According to Skarlatos, who restrained the attacker on the train, it appeared his weapon was faulty.
“If that guy’s weapon would have been functioning properly I don’t even want to think about how it would have went…”
gr_am2
He also said that the attacker did not seem to know how to handle the gun properly.
Skarlatos told Sky News: “I grabbed the handgun, got the handgun away from the guy and threw it. Then I grabbed the AK which was at his feet and started muzzle-thumping him in the head with it.
“Everybody just started beating on the guy while Spencer held the choke hold, until he went unconscious at that point. People started to restrain him.”
Skarlatos – who said that everyone was just reacting on “adrenaline” – picked up the AK-47 and checked the other cars to ensure there was not another gunman.
Skarlatos returned to car 12, where it all started, cleared the weapons and put them in a pile.
He told Sky News: “I noticed when I removed the round in the chamber of the AK that the primer had been struck, which means he pulled the trigger on the AK.
“The primer was just faulty, so the gun did not go off, luckily, and he did not know how to fix it, which was also very lucky.
“When I cleared the handgun I also noticed that there was no magazine in it – so he had either dropped it accidentally or did not load it properly. He was only able to get what appeared to be one shot off with the handgun.”

gr_am3

Ask me anything

Explore related questions

> More World

Follow en.protothema.gr on Google News and be the first to know all the news

See all the latest News from Greece and the World, the moment they happen, at en.protothema.gr

> Latest Stories

Trump: I have a lot of people pointing a gun at me, don’t I?

February 25, 2026

How Athens “unlocked” Trump in one year: Energy, defense, the role of Kimberly Guilfoyle and the Gerape­tritis–Rubio meeting

February 24, 2026

The Washington Post: Trump tightens the noose around Iran – US sends over 150 fighter jets to Europe and the Middle East

February 24, 2026

“Lockdown” at the port of Hydra: All shops to close for filming of the movie starring Brad Pitt

February 24, 2026

Plevris from Rome: Tolerance policies on migration belong to the past

February 24, 2026

Three reports, two lines on OPEKEPE: No criminal liability, says ND – Investigate Voridis and Avgenakis, opposition demands

February 24, 2026

Kyiv dismisses Russia’s claim on nuclear weapons as “absurd”

February 24, 2026

Putin issues threats on the 4th anniversary of the war in Ukraine: “Our adversaries know what will happen if they use nuclear weapons against us”

February 24, 2026
All News

> Economy

Tax returns 2025: When the submission starts, what to look out for in the pre-filled forms

The countdown has begun for the 2025 tax returns, with the platform expected to open mid-March

February 24, 2026

Independent power transmission operator (IPTO): €3.7 Billion relief for consumers by 2034 from power interconnections

February 24, 2026

Washington hosts the crucial crash test for the Vertical Corridor

February 24, 2026

Trump’s head-on clash with the Supreme Court: 10% global tariff, the day after the ruling and the President’s “workaround”

February 21, 2026

Eurobank: strategic partnership on artificial intelligence at the India AI Impact Summit 2026

February 20, 2026
Homepage
PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION POLICY COOKIES POLICY TERM OF USE
Powered by Cloudevo
Copyright © 2026 Πρώτο Θέμα