Trial in France for extremist foiled by 3 Americans on train

In this Aug. 24, 2015 file photo, French President Francois Hollande bids farewell to U.S....
In this Aug. 24, 2015 file photo, French President Francois Hollande bids farewell to U.S. Airman Spencer Stone as U.S. National Guardsman Alek Skarlatos of Roseburg, Ore., second from left, and Anthony Sadler, a senior at Sacramento State University in California, right, after Hollande awarded them the French Legion of Honor at the Elysee Palace in Paris.(Michel Euler | AP)
Published: Nov. 16, 2020 at 7:43 PM CST
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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.

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