3 men granted French citizenship for thwarting train attack

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Three California men have been granted French citizenship for their role in thwarting a terror attack on a French train in 2015.

Spencer Stone, Alek Skarlatos and Anthony Sadler were naturalized Thursday at a ceremony in Sacramento. They were honoured by Emmanuel Lebrun-Damiens, consul general of France in San Francisco, and Guy Michelier, honorary consul of France in Sacramento.

The three men were travelling from Amsterdam to Paris during a trip in Europe when they helped subdue a man who opened fire inside the train. Authorities say attacker, Ayoub El-Khazzani, had ties to radical Islam.

Skarlatos is a former member of the Oregon National Guard, and Stone is a former Airman 1st Class in the United States Airforce.

All three men are from the Sacramento area.