Close Menu
CCMECCME
  • Home
  • Who are we
    • CCME
    • The President
    • The General Secretary
    • Working groups
  • News
    • News of the council
    • News of Moroccan migration
    • News of migration in the world
  • Interviews
  • Archives of the council
    • Activities
    • Media and migration
    • News
  • Resources
  • Contact us
  • Share a contribution
  • Home
  • Who are we
    • CCME
    • The President
    • The General Secretary
    • Working groups
  • News
    • News of the council
    • News of Moroccan migration
    • News of migration in the world
  • Interviews
  • Archives of the council
    • Activities
    • Media and migration
    • News
  • Resources
  • Contact us
  • Share a contribution
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube LinkedIn
CCMECCME
  • English
    • العربية
    • Français
  • Home
  • Who we are
    • CCME
    • The President
    • The General Secretary
    • Working groups
  • News
    • News of the Council
    • News of migration in the world
    • News of Moroccan migration
  • Resources
Podcasts بودكاست Podcasts
  • Spécial SIEL 2025
  • Programmation
  • Axes
    • Voix des amériques
    • Maroc-Belgique: Histoire, Migrations et commémorations
    • Migrations et sciences sociales : où en est la recherche sur les migrations marocaines ?
    • Écritures féminines au maroc et dans l’immigration
  • Rencontres
    • Rencontres et débats
    • Rencontres philosophiques
    • Cinéma une rétrospective des films pionniers du cinéma marocain sur l’émigration/immigration
  • Vient de paraitre
  • Hommages
CCMECCME
  • English
    • العربية
    • Français
  • Spécial SIEL 2025
  • Programmation
  • Axes
  • Rencontres
  • Vient de paraitre
  • Hommages
Home»Archives of the council»Media and migration

France train shooting: Suspect identified as Moroccan man Ayoub El-Khazzani

Media and migration 24 August 2015Equipe de rédaction
Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email WhatsApp Copy Link
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email WhatsApp Copy Link

The suspect in the train attack in France on Friday has been identified as 25-year-old Moroccan man Ayoub El-Khazzani.

French authorities have identified the main suspect in the train attack on Friday as Ayoub El-Khazzani, a 25-year-old Moroccan who is now being questioned by antiterror police. The shooting happened on a Thalys train en route to Paris from Amsterdam, according to a BBC report profiling the train attack suspect.

El-Khazzani, who set foot on Spain in 2007, is reportedly a native of Teouan, northern Morocco. AFP news firm cited a Spanish antiterrorist insider saying the Moroccan stayed in Spain for seven years before moving to France in March 2014.

The suspect later went to Syria and returned to France. He was previously arrested in Spain over drug-related charges. However, French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said El-Khazzani lived in Spain until 2014 and moved to Belgium the following year.

Last year, Spanish authorities flagged El-Khazzani as an Islamic extremist who has possible intentions of going to France. He was later on placed on a watch list, said Cazeneuve.

An AFP report published on Al Arabiya says El-Khazzani had a Spanish residency permit that allowed him to travel to 26 European countries freely.

El-Khazzani’s lawyer has denied the allegations that his client went to Turkey and Syria. The train shooting suspect himself denied any plans to implement a terrorist attack. He explained that he had only found weapons in a Belgian park and later on used it to rob train passengers.

The Moroccan suspect went on to say that his identity documents have been stolen and that he was already homeless in Belgium. While he confirmed that he had traveled to Andorra, Austria, Belgium, France, and Germany, he maintained that he did not travel to Turkey or Syria, the report details.

When El-Khazzani attacked a train on Friday, he had with him a Kalashnikov rifle, one automatic pistol, ammunition, and one blade. Three Americans onboard helped subdue him, thus preventing a deadly incident from happening.

The recent train attack in France shows how difficult it is for European authorities to monitor the hundreds of extremists who have reportedly returned home after fighting for the Islamic State in Syria.

Source: CP World

Related Posts

Paris Attacks: the intellectuals’ forecasts that we did not heed

30 November 2015

United States: Moroccan Taxi driver shot in the back on Thanksgiving Day

30 November 2015

Refugees welcome? How UK and Germany compare on migration

3 September 2015

Migration crisis: pressure mounts on Cameron over refugees

3 September 2015

Hundreds of migrants protest at Budapest station, want to go to Germany

3 September 2015

EU refugee crisis: World mourns Syrian toddler as Andy Burnham calls for emergency Parliament debate

3 September 2015

Our latest news

Rachid Guerraoui élu membre de l'Academia Europaea

Award: Rachid Guerraoui  elected to the Academia Europaea 

19 May 2025
الرئيس الفرنسي يعين رشيد بنزين عضوا في اللجنة الوطنية للأخلاقيات

France: Rachid Benzine appointed to the national Ethics Comitee for Life Sciences and Health

16 May 2025
مشروع قانون فرنسي يخرج الجمعيات من مراكز الاعتقال الإداري

France: A Senate bill to remove NGO’s from detention centers

13 May 2025
L'Espagne et le Maroc prévoient une augmentation du nombre d'utilisateurs de l'opération « Traversée du détroit 2025 »

 Spain and Morocco hold  the 36th Spanish-Moroccan Joint Commission meeting 

8 May 2025

النشرة الإخبارية

اشترك لتلقي آخر الأخبار

قم بتنزيل تطبيق المجلس

ولا تنس تفعيل الإشعارات للحصول على آخر الأخبار!

Download CCME books for Android
Download CCME books for IOS
Logo CCME
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube LinkedIn

المجلس

  • Who we are
  • The President
  • The General Secretary
  • Working groups

الأخبار

  • News
  • News of Moroccan migration
  • News of migration in the world
موارد
اتصل بنا
  • محج الرياض. ش 10 ص.ب 21481 - حي الرياض - الرباط 10000 - المغرب
  • contact@ccme.org.ma
  • +212 5 37 56 71 71 اتصل بنا​

2025 - © المجلس

  • Right of access to information
  • Terms of use
  • Contact us

Newsletter

Subscribe to receive the latest news

Download the CCME app

And don’t forget to activate notifications to receive the latest news!

Download CCME books for IOS
Download CCME books for Android
Logo CCME
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube LinkedIn
CCME
  • Who we are
  • The President
  • The General Secretary
  • Working groups
News
  • News
  • News of Moroccan migration
  • News of migration in the world
Resources
Contact
  • Mahaj Ryad. Imm 10. B.P 21481 - Hay Ryad - Rabat 10 000 - Morocco
  • contact@ccme.org.ma
  • +212 5 37 56 71 71
© 2025 - CCME
  • Right of access to information
  • Terms of use
  • Contact us

Revue de presse

Abonnez-vous pour recevoir notre revue de presse

    Téléchargez l’application CCME

    Et n’oubliez pas d’activer les notifications pour recevoir les dernières actualités!

    Download CCME books for IOS
    Download CCME books for Android
    Logo CCME
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube LinkedIn

    CCME

    • Who we are
    • The President
    • The General Secretary
    • Working groups

    Actualités

    • News
    • News of Moroccan migration
    • News of migration in the world

    Ressources

    Contact

    • Mahaj Ryad. Imm 10. B.P 21481 - Hay Ryad - Rabat 10 000 - Maroc
    • contact@ccme.org.ma
    • +212 5 37 56 71 71

    © 2025 - CCME

    • Right of access to information
    • Terms of use
    • Contact us

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.