Clint Eastwood’s New Movie Tells Story of Thwarted ISIS Train Attack in France

Three American heroes who tackled a terrorist gunman will play themselves in 'The 15:17 to Paris'

September 1, 2017 11:18 am
Clint Eastwood
California Hall of Fame inductee Clint Eastwood and his wife Dina walk the red carpet before the Hall of Fame ceremony at the California Museum of History, Women and Arts in Sacramento, Calif., Monday, Dec. 15, 2008.(AP Photo/Steve Yeater)

Clint Eastwood’s newest film, The 15:17 to Paris, re-enacts an attempted Islamic State terror attack on a high-speed train in France that saw three Americans tackle the gunman and thwart the terrorist, reports the Associated Press

The film crew is currently in Arras, France, where the train ended up after Ayoub El Khazzani was overpowered by passengers in 2015, according to AP. The trio of good Samaritans were awarded the Legion of Honor, France’s highest decoration, for their heroism.

The Daily Mail reports that the heroes of the story, Anthony Sadler, Alek Skarlatos and Spencer Stone, will play themselves in the movie.  They grew up together in the Sacramento area of California. Child actors will play the three during flashback scenes, which will explore who the men are and why they acted the way they did two years ago.

El Khazzani boarded the Paris-bound train with a Kalashnikov rifle, pistol and a box cutter. The Americans were vacationing together in Europe at the time, and were on that train. The three, along with a French national and a Briton, charged, tackled, and subdued El Khazzani.

 

El Khazzani’s lawyer has said that the suspect acted on orders from the leader of the same ISIS cell that attacked Paris three months earlier, reports the AP. 

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