A Moroccan terrorist who was tackled and disarmed by US servicemen after he opened fire on a Paris-bound train pleaded with the men to give him his Kalashnikov back before they beat him unconscious.
Spencer Stone, who is part of the U.S. Air Force, spotted the 26-year-old Moroccan acting suspiciously and heard him trying to load his weapon in the toilet of the high speed train between Amsterdam and Paris.
He was travelling with Oregon National Guard member Alek Skarlatos, 22, who was on leave and traveling through Europe at the time after returning from a tour in Afghanistan.
With the help of their friend Anthony Sadler, from Pittsburg, California, and fellow passenger British IT consultant Chris Norman, they managed to wrestle the attacker to the ground, stopping what could have been a deadly terrorist attack.
Now, Mr Sadler has revealed the attacker pleaded with them to return his AK-47.
He said: 'He was just telling us to give back his gun. "Give me back my gun! Give me back my gun!" But we just carried on beating him up and immobilised him and that was it.'
The men have since been commended for their bravery by President Barack Obama.
The 26-year-old Moroccan national, who was known to security services, got on the train in Brussels and attempted his attack soon after crossing the French border. He was beaten unconscious by three men on board
Video footage of the aftermath has emerged, showing what appears to be the gunman lying on the floor (right) with his hands and feet tied up with t-shirts. A man (left) is seen on the ground with a head injury
The camera then pans around to the machine gun resting on a seat surrounded by blood stains on the windows
Spencer Stone, who is part of the U.S. Air Force, spotted the 26-year-old Moroccan acting suspiciously and heard him trying to arm his weapon in the toilet of the high speed train between Amsterdam and Paris
Stone is pictured top left with his Air Force colleagues. His brave actions were applauded by French police and the White House
Video footage of the aftermath has emerged, showing what appears to be the gunman lying on the floor, moaning with pain, with his hands and feet tied up with t-shirts after he was beaten unconscious.
The camera then pans around to the Kalashnikov resting on a seat surrounded by blood stains on the windows.
The 26-year-old Moroccan national, who was known to security services, got on the train in Brussels and attempted his attack soon after crossing the French border.
Reuters reports the man had also been under French police surveillance after foreign security services identified him as dangerous.
French newspaper La Voix du Nord said Spanish authorities had pointed out the man to French police. It was not immediately clear whether he was still under surveillance at the time of Friday's attack.
He came out of the toilet brandishing the gun and opened fire, wounding two people on board. Fortunately, the hero passengers were nearby and overpowered him.
According to witnesses he was carrying a short-stocked Kalashnikov assault rifle, at least five magazines of ammunition, a handgun and knives, according to witnesses.
The terrorist, named in reports as Ayoub el-Qahzzani, had at least nine full magazines of ammunition holding almost 300 rounds. He was arrested by police at a train station in Arras and taken to hospital where he is now in custody.
'We heard a gunshot, and we heard glass breaking behind us, and saw a train employee sprint past us down the aisle,' Sadler said from France. They saw a gunman entering the train car with an automatic rifle, he said.
'As he was cocking it to shoot it, Alek just yells, 'Spencer, go!' And Spencer runs down the aisle,' Sadler said. 'Spencer makes first contact, he tackles the guy, Alek wrestles gun away from him, and the gunman pulls out a box cutter and slices Spencer a few times. And the three of us beat him until he was unconscious.'
'The gunman never said a word,' he added.
Meanwhile French media site BFMTV are reporting that the man denies being a terrorist and instead claims he wanted to carry out an armed robbery and ransom train passengers.
He also claims he found the weapons in a bag 'by chance in a Brussels Park'.
Skarlatos described Stone's heroic actions to ITV News in the aftermath of the attack.
'Spencer ran a good ten metres to get to the guy and we didn't that his gun not working or anything like that,' he said. 'Spencer just ran anyway and if anybody would have gotten shot it would have been Spencer for sure and we're very lucky that nobody got killed, especially Spencer.'
He added that he was in 'good spirits' in hospital, but was still shocked by what unfolded.
Pentagon spokesman Commander William Urban confirmed that one member of American military had been injured, but declined to formally identify him.
US President Barack Obama praised the 'courage and quick thinking' of the men.
'The president expressed his profound gratitude for the courage and quick thinking of several passengers, including US service members, who selflessly subdued the attacker,' a White House official said.
'While the investigation into the attack is in its early stages, it is clear that their heroic actions may have prevented a far worse tragedy.
'We will remain in close contact with French authorities as the investigation proceeds,' the official added.
(from left to right) Anthony Sadler, from Pittsburg, California, Aleck Sharlatos from Roseburg, Oregon, and Chris Norman, a British man living in France thwarted the attacker while on the train. They are pictured with medals they received for bravery
The suspected gunman, a 26-year-old Moroccan, was held on the platform of the station in Arras in France so police could arrive and detain him
A wounded passenger lies on the floor on the train - the man has not yet been identified
French police sealed off the train after the gunman was arrested. He was disarmed by the servicemen after he began shooting
Maj. Stephen Bomar, an Oregon Military Departments spokesman confirmed Friday evening that one of the Americans is a member of the Oregon National Guard's 41st Infantry Brigade Combat team but declined to name him.
However Skarlatos was identified by his stepmother.
Bomar told The Oregonian: 'It's fantastic that no matter who it was, someone stepped up to stop such a horrific event. We're absolutely proud that it happened to be someone from the Oregon Army National Guard.
El Pais claimed that the terror suspect had recently been in Syria before returning to Europe to launch his attack.
It is understood that the gunman boarded the train, which had more than 550 passengers on board, in Brussels and made his move as soon as it crossed into France.
French media claim that the suspect was previously known to French security services and was living in Spain. He has already been linked to a number of radical Islamic groups. He was classed, according to FranceInfo.fr as 'potentially dangerous'.
Speaking in Arras, French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve praised the Marines for their timely intervention.
He said: 'Thanks to them we have averted a drama.
'(The Americans were) particularly courageous and showed extreme bravery in extremely difficult circumstances.'
The man was arrested by police near the town of Arras in northern France.
Belgian journalist Marin Buxant Tweeted that the US Marines were on leave in Brussels when they spotted the man and followed him on the train. When the suspect went into the toilet, the Marines recognised the sound of a weapon being armed and decided to act immediately.
SOURCE: DAILY MAIL.COM
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