Trial in France for extremist foiled by 3 Americans on train

PARIS (AP) — An Islamic State operative has gone on trial in France on terror charges for shooting a passenger and carrying an arsenal of weapons aboard a high-speed train in 2015.

He was brought down by three American vacationers in an electrifying capture that director Clint Eastwood turned into a Hollywood thriller.

Opening a month-long trial Monday, the judge said the 31-year-old Moroccan with ties to a notorious mastermind intended to “kill all the passengers” aboard the Amsterdam to Paris train but “lost control of events.”

If convicted, Ayoub El Khazzani faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

The two U.S. servicemen and their friend who stopped him, hailed as heroes, are expected to testify.