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3 California Men Granted French Citizenship for Thwarting 2015 Terror Attack

From left: French Consul General Emmanuel Lebrun-Damiens congratulates Spencer Stone, Anthony Sadler and Alek Skarlatos during a naturalization ceremony in Sacramento on Jan. 31, 2019, in a photo tweeted by the consul general.

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 honored by Emmanuel Lebrun-Damiens, consul general of France in San Francisco, and Guy Michelier, honorary consul of France in Sacramento.

The three men were traveling 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.