The author of the frustrated 2015 attack must spend a minimum of 22 years in prison before he can apply for a prison sentence
The Moroccan terrorist Ayoub el-Khazzani, who in August 2015 was the protagonist of a frustrated attack on board a Thalys high-speed train, was sentenced to life imprisonment by the French judiciary this Thursday for “attempted terrorist murder”.
El Khazzani, who lived in Spain with his family for a while, must spend at least 22 years in prison before he can apply for any form of prison, the judges of the Paris Criminal Court have ruled. The 33-year-old terrorist had already been sentenced to life imprisonment by a court of first instance in December 2020.
On 21 August 2015, El-Khazzani boarded the Thalys high-speed train from Amsterdam to Paris in Brussels. He was ready to go on a killing spree. In his luggage he had a Kalashnikov assault rifle, nine magazines with a lot of ammunition, a Luger automatic pistol and a box cutter. However, the attack was thwarted by the heroic actions of several passengers who disarmed him, avoiding tragedy. Four were injured, one seriously.
Three American tourists – Anthony Sandler, Alek Skarlatos and Spencer Stone – were considered heroes after they managed to disarm the terrorist and subdue him until he was detained by police at Arras station (northern France), where the train was diverted. The three received the Legion of Honor, the highest decoration, from then French President François Hollande and were received at the White House by US President Barack Obama.
Film director Clint Eastwood brought his performance to the big screen. In the film, entitled ’15:17 Train to Paris’, the heroes of the Thalys, as they were called by the French press, played themselves.
Source: La Verdad
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