Moroccan Terror Suspect: American Soldier’s Smile Thwarted Train Attack

Speaking by videoconference with the investigating judge, the Moroccan admitted that he was blocked by the smile of the American soldier, as he had prepared the attack in the train toilets. "He smiled at me. And, since he had smiled at me, it blocked me, I couldn’t do anything," confided the 29-year-old.

Panicked at the time of the attack, Ayoub El Khazzani let himself be taken. He recounts: "I couldn’t shoot at the head of a human being. At that moment, I started shaking." He admits to having deliberately succumbed to the American’s grip. "Inwardly, I was psychologically destroyed, but at the last minute, I couldn’t do it," he added.

Returning to the November 13, 2015 attack, three months after the train incident, Ayoub El Khazzani mentioned the role played by another Moroccan, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, whom he said was responsible for planning the attack against the group of American soldiers stationed in a train car. The latter had provided him with weapons, as well as a can of gasoline to be able to immolate himself in case of arrest.