French charge train gunman with terrorism

A man who authorities say intended to commit mass murder on a train as it headed through Europe on Friday has been charged with terrorism, the Paris prosecutor's office confirmed Wednesday.

Ayoub El-Khazzani, 26, boarded the high-speed, Amsterdam-to-Paris train armed with an assault rifle, 9mm handgun, box cutter and more than 200 rounds of ammunition, authorities said. He was tackled and overpowered by three Americans, a French-American, a French national and a Briton.

El-Khazzani, a Moroccan, has denied terrorism and said he found a bag of weapons and was simply trying to rob the train. He also faces charges of attempted murder, possession of weapons, and conspiracy.

El-Khazzani's older brother Imran told French radio station RMC that his brother is not a terrorist.

"He could have gone crazy. His life was without a doubt difficult. He didn't have much money," he said, according to the Associated Press. "It could have gone from bad to worse."

"I swear to you before God that my brother has nothing to do with a terrorist," he added. "We are Muslims. We respect people."

Paris prosecutor Francois Molins on Tuesday rejected El-Khazzani's claim that he was poor, homeless and trying to rob the train. He said El-Khazzani boarded the train with a first-class ticket that cost 149 euros — about $170. Moments before the attack, he watched a jihadi video on his phone, which had been activated that day, Molins said.

Molins said El-Khazzani spent much of 2014 in France, Germany and Austria. In May, he flew to and from Turkey — a key access point for would-be Islamic militants bound for Syria.

The terrorism investigation will focus on who financed and otherwise aided el-Khazzani, Molins said.

Contributing: John Bacon