Ayoub El-Khazzani, French train gunman, given terrorism charges

PARIS, Aug. 26 (UPI) -- Ayoub El-Khazzani, the Moroccan who wielded an AK-47 on a French train before he was subdued by three Americans and a Briton, was received terrorism charges.

El-Khazzani was formally charged overnight on multiple counts of attempted murder, possession of weapons, and conspiracy, French prosecutors confirmed Tuesday, according to CBS News.

Born in Tetouan, Morocco, El-Khazzani moved to Spain in 2007 and then moved to Belgium in 2015. In February 2014, Spanish authorities warned France that El-Khazzani was an Islamist extremist who could travel to France.

El-Khazzani was then placed on a list "so that we could locate him if he ever came on to French soil," French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said.

El-Khazzani told police that his motive was to rob the passengers, only planning to shoot out a window of the train, but prosecutor Molins said El-Khazzani's explanation became less clear during interrogation before he stopped answering questions altogether.

Anthony Sadler, considered a hero for helping stop a potential massacre on a train in Paris, France, returned home to Sacramento on Tuesday.

Sadler, 23, a senior at Sacramento State University, along with friends Spencer Stone, 23, Alek Skarlatos, 22, and British citizen Chris Norman, 62, thwarted a suspected gun attack by Ayoub El-Khazzani on Friday. France has opened a formal terrorism investigation into the incident.

The four men were awarded the Legion d'Honneur, France's highest honor, on Monday. Sadler is the first of the American heroes to come home.

"It was a great honor to meet the French president, I never thought that I would be in that position," Sadler said. "He's a really nice man and I appreciate everything he did for us. It's a great honor bestowed upon us and I appreciate that."

Sadler was also invited to the prestigious French premiere of music movie "Straight Outta Compton."

"I feel like I'm in a dream, it's unreal," Sadler said. "It's pretty crazy."

Mark Moogalian, 51, from Midlothian, Va., was shot while attempting to assist in stopping El-Khazzani. Moogalian is being treated at Lille Central Hospital and was hailed for bravery.

Skarlatos, a National Guard Specialist, will receive the Soldiers Medal, which is awarded "for extraordinary heroism above and beyond the call of duty," the U.S. Army said.