Gunman faces terror charges in train attack
Suspect’s father says his jobless son probably acted out of a need for money
PARIS— The Moroccan suspect in a foiled attack on a high-speed train is facing terrorism charges over what authorities say was a plan to unleash carnage among hundreds of passengers.
The Paris prosecutor’s office confirmed Wednesday that Ayoub ElKhazzani was charged overnight. ElKhazzani, 26, was overpowered by at least five passengers, including three Americans and a Briton, after trying to attack the train with a small arsenal. One person, a French-American who tried to seize an assault rifle from him, remains hospitalized with gunshot wounds.
El-Khazzani has denied terrorism plans and said he stumbled upon a bag of weapons and decided to use them to rob passengers.
His older brother, Imran, reached by French radio network RMC, also said the younger man had no links with terrorism.
“I swear to you before God that my brother has nothing to do with a terrorist. We are Muslims. We respect people,” the brother said. “He could have gone crazy. His life was without a doubt difficult. He didn’t have much money. It could have gone from bad to worse.”
His father, Mohamed, said Ayoub’s job in France ended after about a month and a half and he believed his son acted out of a need for money.
“If he had nothing to eat, he doubtless wanted to commit a theft,” his father told BFM television network.
But Paris prosecutor François Molins has said El-Khazzani watched a jihadi video on his cellphone moments before the attack and that, although he claimed to be homeless, he had used a first-class ticket.
Among the terrorism charges he faces are multiple counts of attempted murder, possession of weapons, and conspiracy.
Mark Moogalian, one of the passengers who helped overpower ElKhazzani, recounted his ordeal in an interview published in Paris Match magazine on Wednesday.
“I saw him come out of the toilet and another guy, who looked young, had grabbed him from behind and was trying to control him,” Moogalian, who was shot and seriously wounded, said from his hospital bed in Lille, France.
Moogalian rushed at the gunman and wrenched an AKM assault rifle from his grip. “I’ve got the weapon!” he yelled, and just then a shot rang out.
“I felt a giant pain in the back. I fell down between the seats. I dropped the weapon as I fell. I didn’t know he had a handgun,” Moogalian said.