Four arrested in connection with Thalys attack

Four people have been arrested in connection with the failed terrorist attack on a Thalys train in the summer of 2015. According to the Brussels prosecutor’s office, the arrests were made during house searches early on Monday morning in Laeken, Molenbeek and Anderlecht.

On 21 August 2015, Ayoub El Khazzani attempted to open fire on passengers in a Thalys rail car, which had just crossed the border into France. El Khazzani boarded the train in Brussels.

In a story that captured headlines and imaginations across the globe, El Khazzani was subdued by passengers on the train, including three American military personnel who were off duty. Four passengers were injured.

El Khazzani, a Moroccan national, confessed to French authorities in late 2016 months later and is being held in France. The police action this morning included a search of a house where El Khazzani is now known to have stayed together with Abdelhamid Abbaaoud, one of the masterminds of the November 2015 Paris attacks.

No weapons or explosives were found, according to the police, but four men are being held for questioning.