Mark Moogalian, author, songwriter, performer and Paris expat English teacher, is also a very brave man. He was shot and seriously wounded on the Thalys high speed train to Paris by suspected Islamic terrorist Ayoub-El Khazzani, who was armed with a Kalashnikov, a pistol, cutters and numerous rounds of ammunition. According to The Telegraph, Moogalian managed to wrestle the Kalashnikov away from El Khazzani who then shot him with his other gun, a pistol. As of this writing, he is still in the ICU of Lille, and seriously ill.
Moogalian, who came to Europe in the 1990s to create music, is originally from Richmond, Virginia.
A guitar player since the age of sixteen, he formed Look Like Bamboo and Javaman in his early twenties.
In 2002, he met fellow singer-songwriter Isabelle Risacher. On their website, named Secret Season after their group, Mark and Isabelle describe themselves as:
"largely bicultural, bringing the best of both worlds."
Laureates of the Rock en Strophe competition in 2006 under the name of Rhythm Ducks, they changed their name to SECRET SEASON in 2009.
According to news reports, the couple was traveling together on the Thalys, when Moogalian acted to disarm attacker El Khazzani. Moogalian managed to get the Kalashnikov, but El Khazzani then shot him with another gun, seriously wounded him. Fortunately, another one of brave men on the train, Spencer Stone, also wounded, administered first aid until help arrived.
The Thalys Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris line is familiar to many Paris expats.
If recent massacres in Tunisia, Vincennes, Paris, Toulouse, and Brussels are any indication of the heavily armed attacker's intent, it is not an exageration to say that a bloodbath was averted. For this we have to thank the courage of a few individuals, including a banker, an off-duty airman, a student, a logistics specialist, a National Guard reservist - and a singer-songwriter-teacher.
Here is Mark and Isabelle's first video, "In the Beginning".
See Secret Season website for more songs.
