French President Francois Hollande has awarded the nation's highest honour, the Legion d'Honneur, to three US citizens and a Briton who helped overpower a gunman on a high-speed Paris-bound train.
US Air Force serviceman Spencer Stone (23), US National Guardsman Alek Skarlatos (22) and Sacramento State University student Anthony Sadler (23) - who are all friends - risked their lives in tackling the suspected terrorist and beating him unconscious.
Chris Norman, a 62-year-old British consultant who lives in France, also joined in the fight.
All four men, who were travelling on the train as passengers, have been hailed as heroes for springing into action when they saw the gunman cocking his assault rifle.
"You also gave a lesson in courage, in will, and thus in hope," Mr Hollande told the men, as he presented the awards.
"Since Friday, the entire world admires your courage, your sangfroid, your spirit of solidarity. This is what allowed you to with bare hands - your bare hands - to subdue an armed man. This must be an example for all, and a source of inspiration".
He said the men showed the world that when "faced with terror, we have the power to resist".
Mr Stone, who was stabbed while stopping the shooter, spoke to the media for the first time last night alongside Mr Skarlatos and Mr Sadler at a news conference at the US embassy in Paris.
He recalled how he woke from a "deep sleep" and turned around and saw the attacker in his carriage with an assault rifle "that looked like it was jammed".
He said Mr Skarlatos "hit" him on the shoulder and said "let's go" before they charged at the gunman and tackled him to the ground.
Mr Stone, who is on leave from the US Air Force, grappled with the man and put him in a chokehold, while Mr Skarlatos took away his assault rifle during the altercation on Friday evening.
But the suspect fought back and "pulled more weapons" from his bag, including a handgun which was also removed by his friend.
Mr Stone was stabbed with a bolt cutter in the neck and was sliced in the hand, and then the pair along with their other friend, Mr Sadler, started punching him.
Mr Stone said: "He seemed like he was ready to fight to the end. So were we".
And he was eventually able to "choke him unconscious" and Mr Skarlatos hit him in the head with one of the guns, before he was tied up with the help of Mr Norman.
"Mostly gut instinct"
Mr Stone said his thumb has been reattached as he thanked the French doctors, police officers and others. He has also been praised for helping to stop the bleeding of a French-American passenger who was shot.
The train, which was in Belgium during the incident, was rerouted to the nearest station in Arras, northern France - where the suspect, a 26-year-old Moroccan national, was arrested.
He has been named by Spanish media as Ayoub el Khazzani. His lawyer said her client had been shocked and surprised "to the point of being amused" when he was arrested.
He told police he found a bag in a park in Brussels containing guns and a knife and the idea came to him to rob people. French authorities can legally hold him for questioning until Tuesday, when they must charge him or free him.
Mr Skarlatos told the news conference that military training played a part in subduing the gunman.
"In the beginning it was mostly gut instinct, survival," he said. "Our training kicked in after the struggle".
Mr Norman, a married grandfather-of-two, said he helped the three Americans overpower the gunman because he thought he was "probably going to die anyway".
US Ambassador to France Jane Hartley said President Barack Obama had praised the bravery of the passengers in a personal telephone call to Mr Hollande last night.
She said the four men "demonstrated remarkable bravery and acted without regard for their own safety in order to subdue a heavily-armed individual who appeared intent on causing mass casualties".
She added: "When most of us would run away, Spencer, Alek and Anthony ran in to the line of fire saying 'let's go'".
