Maria Puente

USA TODAY

The three American men who risked their lives to thwart a terrorist on a Paris-bound train last year celebrated their book deal on Wednesday.

The Perseus Books Group announced that its PublicAffairs imprint will publish The 15:17 To Paris in August, the first anniversary of the would-be terrorist attack that eerily presaged the related deadly terrorist attacks in Paris three months later.

The publisher described the book as a "true story of courage and heroism" by Anthony Sadler, Alek Skarlatos, and Spencer Stone, the three young American friends who helped foil a heavily armed gunman on a train bound for Paris in August 2015. The trio's co-author will be Jeffrey E. Stern.

The three longtime pals were on vacation in Europe, heading to Paris from Brussels, when a man later identified as ISIS associate Ayoub al-Khazzani boarded their train, the 15:17, armed with an AK-47, a pistol, a box cutter, and enough ammunition to kill hundreds on board the packed train.

When the gunman emerged from a bathroom firing a Kalashnikov, the trio, along with a British and a French passenger, leaped from their seats, tackled and wrestled the gunman to the train floor and disarmed him. Stone, an Air Force airman, was stabbed in the process and nearly lost his thumb.

A book deal is only the latest consequence of the Americans' actions. They were hailed as international heroes, received France's highest honor, the Legion of Honor, and met with President Obama in the Oval Office, who called them "the very best" of the American character.

Obama greets Paris train heroes as 'the very best' of American character

Stone, who was later promoted to staff sergeant, got a Purple Heart and Airman's Medal in a Pentagon ceremony. Skarlatos, an Army specialist, got a Soldier’s medal, and Sadler received a civilian award.

Stone also was in first lady Michelle Obama's box during the president's State of the Union speech last week.

Their book will be the story of their gripping heroics, but also the story of three young Americans, their values, their friendship, and their trust in each other, the publisher said in a statement.

“We were driven by instinct, we just had a sense in that moment that a lot of people were going to die if we didn’t do something,” Stone said in a statement about their actions. “Being together definitely drove us to act.

"There’s a lot the three of us have talked and thought about since then, but haven’t had the chance to tell anyone yet. We’re excited to finally share the whole story with the world.”







