Their fast-action in tackling and subduing Ayoub El Khazzani, an alleged terrorist of Moroccan descent who had 300 rounds of ammunition and several weapons, was aided by three others: British citizen Chris Norman, 62; Mark Moogalian, 51, who holds dual French and American citizenship; and an unidentified Frenchman.
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The academic acted instinctively to protect his wife Isabella Risacher, who was also aboard the Thalys train.
“There’s not a bad bone in his body, I believe he would help anybody”, said Harry Moogalian.
Another passenger – a French national who has not gone public – also tackled the gunman, and will be honored at a later date. Moogalian is slated to get his Legion of Honour after he recovers.
“When my husband collapsed, I noticed throughout the seats”. “I ran toward him, and I could see that he a wound on his back”.
New York social worker Christina Coons, who was aboard the train, said she didn’t think she would make it.
“It all happened very quickly, but nearly immediately after I went under, what I had seen was a man bleeding profusely on his neck”, she said.
“He put his finger on my husband’s neck wound to stop the hemorrhaging continuing and he stayed in this position during the whole voyage”, she told Europe1.
Moogalian, a native of Virginia, is said to have lived in France for more than 20 years.
“I saw him through the gaps between the seats”.
The Midlothian native now teaches at the Sorbonne, and was on the train with his wife.
Sadler, Stone and Skarlatos reportedly met in middle school in California and planned on spending the summer sightseeing together. Stone is an Air Force serviceman.
How did a man who had been “on the radar of all three countries” manage to board the train unbothered but full of guns? When the gunman came out of the bathroom another person engaged him and was thrown to the side, Mark then jumped in and after a struggle was able to get the AK 47 away.
“He never said a word”, said Sadler, a student at California State University in Sacramento. So I just want that lesson to be learned going forward, in times of, like, terror like that, please do something.
“He kept pulling more weapons left and right”, Stone said, his arm in a sling from injuries suffered in the struggle. An assault rifle was tied to his bare chest, and he appeared to be “ready to fight to the end”, according to yahoo. They finally subdued him and tied him before the train pulled up in Arras, northern France. He was hospitalized and released.
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Norman said he was honored to receive the medal and ecstatic to be alive – together with all the passengers on the train.
