EU ministers to discuss improving security after train attack

Interior and transportation ministers from EU countries are to hold talks in Paris Saturday to discuss security measures following last week’s attack on a high-speed train that was foiled by passengers.

The meeting “will… look at very concrete proposals,” French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said Wednesday, just hours after a Moroccan gunman was charged with terrorism over an attempted attack Friday.

Cazeneuve said the meeting would include discussions on improving public transportation safety protocols.

“Can we implement simultaneous and coordinated checks in EU countries?” Cazeneuve asked. “We must examine whether we can implement a system that allows for more systematic checks in airports, in public transport, in a more coordinated way.”

Ayoub El-Khazzani, 26, boarded a Paris-bound train in Brussels Friday armed with an assault rifle and 270 rounds of ammunition, as well as a Luger pistol, a bottle of petrol and a box-cutter.

The Paris prosecutor’s office confirmed Wednesday that El-Khazzani was charged with terrorism overnight. Among the charges he faces are multiple counts of attempted murder, possession of weapons, and conspiracy.

The suspect was stopped in his tracks by two young American off-duty servicemen, their friend and a 62-year-old British consultant, who have since been given France’s top honor, the Legion d’Honneur.

El-Khazzani has denied terrorism plans and said he stumbled upon a bag of weapons and decided to rob passengers.

Paris prosecutor Francois Molins has said the suspect watched a jihadi video on his cellphone moments before his attack and that — although he claimed to be homeless — he used a first-class ticket.