SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – Relatives of the three Americans who tackled and disarmed a gunman on a high-speed train traveling from Amsterdam to Paris say they are proud of the men and relieved they weren’t killed during those chaotic moments.
Tony Sadler said his son, Anthony Sadler, called him to describe what happened and the recognition he is receiving. He said he was first stunned and then relieved his 23-year-old son was not hurt or killed.
“I had thought that this trip, you know, going abroad and traveling for a few weeks would broaden his world view, but never did I suspect he would encounter an experience like this,” Sadler told Sacramento television station KCRA.
He said his son, a senior at Sacramento State University, had planned to travel in Europe with his college friends through the end of August.
“He leaves here a young man on an excursion to broaden his world view and to have fun with his buddies, and he comes back France’s national hero,” Sadler said.