Train attack was well prepared, says French prosecutor

An attempted attack by a heavily armed man on a train in France last week was premeditated and well prepared, according to a French prosecutor.

Ayoub El-Khazzani, 25, was carrying 270 bullets for his assault rifle and a bottle of petrol, prosecutor Francois Molins told reporters on Tuesday.

The Moroccan's phone showed that he had watched a jihadist video shortly before launching the attack, Molins added.

Prosecutors have now filed formal charges against him.

Khazzani is accused of carrying out a "targeted and premeditated" jihadist attack.

He is also accused of firearms offences and "participation in a terrorist association with a view to organising one or several damaging crimes," according to prosecutors' documents quoted by the AFP news agency.

He was overpowered by passengers on the Thalys express train from Amsterdam to Paris on Friday. No-one died.

Three Americans and one Briton who tackled the gunman were awarded medals for their bravery.

"Ayoub El-Khazzani had watched YouTube audio files whilst already on the Thalys train in which an individual called on the faithful to fight and take up arms in the name of the Prophet [Muhammad]," Molins told a news conference.

He said a formal terrorism investigation had been opened, adding that other European authorities had passed on information about the suspect's travels and links to radical Islam.

Molins said Khazzani was "known for his radicalism" and had recently travelled to Turkey - "a possible route to Syria".

The suspect is said to have denied plotting a terrorist attack, saying he found a bag of weapons the night before and planned to use them to rob passengers.

But the prosecutor said Mr Khazzani's explanation became less and less clear during questioning and eventually he stopped talking to investigators altogether