LOS ANGELES: One of three Americans who helped thwart a terror attack on a packed train bound for Paris in August has been stabbed in his home state of California but is expected to survive, authorities said on Thursday.

A US Air Force spokesman confirmed that 23-year-old Airman Spencer Stone had been stabbed in Sacramento and taken to a local hospital.

“He is in stable condition,” Lieutenant Colonel Chris Karns said. “We are still trying to get the details”. Officer Traci Trapani, a spokeswoman for the Sacramento police department, said that police received a call about a person who had been stabbed outside a bar in the city’s downtown area.

“The victim had sustained multiple stab wounds in his upper torso or upper body but he is in stable condition and is expected to survive,” Trapani said, adding that the suspect had fled the scene.

Sacramento police tweeted that the assault was “not related to a terrorist act,” seemingly ruling out a revenge attack over the train incident.

“Assault occurred near a bar, alcohol is believed to be a factor,” police said on Twitter.

Just weeks ago, the town of Sacramento staged a parade in honour of the trio of friends whose actions stopped a massacre.

Stone suffered deep slash wounds as he helped to overpower a heavily-armed gunman, 25-year-old Moroccan Ayoub El Khazzani, in the train attack on August 21.

Armed with a pistol, an assault rifle and 270 rounds of ammunition, Khazzani is accused of seeking to massacre passengers on the Amsterdam-Paris train.

Stone was awarded the Legion of Honour, France’s highest decoration, along with Army National Guard Specialist Alek Skarlatos and Anthony Sadler, a civilian, for their role in thwarting the attack.

Stone had been due to return to work this month at Travis Air Force Base in California.

Published in Dawn October 9th, 2015

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