for sure. and we re very lucky that nobody got killed, especially spencer. we can also now tell you that president obama just called them and personally a short time ago thanking them for their heroism. nick robertson is live for us in fran france. with me here in new york is paul cruickshank. paul, you have some new reported on the suspected gunman, what the motivation may have been and where he may have been headed. according to a senior european counterterrorism official, they believe that he traveled in may of this year to turkey in order to try and join up with isis in syria. not clear whether he actually managed to get into syria. but they also suspect that he established a link with a group of french isis fighters inside turkey, who previously had been suspected of orchestrating a terrorist plot in paris of an algerian student in paris who
statement as well? reporter: that s right. we do have details of that statement. president obama had a phone conversation with the french president. but also having a conversation with the three men as well. and that conversation on a phone call early on. what we know the president told the three men, the president called airman first class spencer stone, alexander ska la toes and saddler to commend them for their quickness. this is what president obama said to them. the president expressed his gratitude to these three individuals for their heroic actions, forestalling an even greater tragedy. the president wished airman stone a full and speedy recovery and expressed how proud all americans were of their extraordinary behavior.
a brit had other ideas. this dramatic video showing the moments after the chaotic takedown. you see one of the americans on the ground in jeans. the shirtless man in white pants is the gunman, hog-tied, and a short time ago, they held a press conference, speaking about their injured friend who not only helped subdue the gunman, but also saved a man s life. i m really proud of my friend, that he just reacted so quickly and so bravely. he was really the first one over there. he went to help the other man who was bleeding also. without his help, he would have died. that man was bleeding from his neck profusely. spencer ran a good ten meters to get to the guy. we didn t know that his gun wasn t working. spencer just ran anyway. if anybody would have gotten shot, it would have been spencer
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new information about the terrorist suspect that was stopped by three american heroes in france. a senior european official telling cnn that investigators believe the suspected gunman likely had links to a group of french isis fighters in turkey. the source says this is the same group that is accused of trying to get an algerian student to launch attacks against churches in paris in april of this year. we are also learning this, as one of the american heroes, u.s. airman first class spencer stone is released from the hospital. he was treated for knife wounds. he also just received a phone call from president obama. anthony saddler, alex skarlatos and spencer stone were on vacation when a man emerged from a bathroom on that train with a rifle and a box cutter and several magazines of ammunition.