Tighter Security on French Trains
After last weeks shooting incident on a train to Paris, SNCF reinforce security
The incident, which involved 25-year-old, Ayoub El-Khazzani, saw him manage to board a train travelling from Amsterdam to Paris with a Kalashnikov rifle, an automatic pistol and a box cutter knife, completely undetected.
Three people were injured as the young Moroccan began shooting, but he was quickly restrained by other passengers. Thankfully there were no fatalities.
Today, Francois Hollande, the French president, awarded three Americans and one Briton with the country's top Legion d'Honneur medal, France's highest civilian honour, after the men were hailed as heroes for overpowering the gunman.
The incident has now prompted the French train service SNCF to step up security measures. For example, random luggage checks are being considered and staffing will be increased at the rail operator's safety call centre. They are calling for passengers to be vigilant and to alert the SNCF to anything suspicious using the phone number 3117, which will now be run by a team of about 40 experts in rail security, who will assess the danger and call police where necessary.
It will however be the role of the authorities to decide on heightened security, not just the SNCF. New measures will be taken “at the European level”. Patrols of railway stations by police and army officers will be reinforced - as part of the ongoing 'Plan Vigipirate' which has been on a higher level since January's terror attacks in Paris.
President François Hollande promised “to take the necessary action” but has not yet give details.
