US Air Force airman Spencer Stone, one of the three Americans who thwarted an August train attack in France, was stabbed several times during a fight outside a Sacramento bar early on 8 October and was admitted to hospital in a serious condition, police and medical officials said. The fight was not related to Stone's role in subduing the gunman on a train headed to Paris and there was no connection to terrorism, Sacramento police said. Stone's assailant, who has not been caught, is not believed to have known Stone's identity.

After the fight, police initially did not believe Stone would survive, but doctors were able to control his bleeding, The Sacramento Bee reported. The UC Davis Medical Center said late on 8 October that Stone was in serious but stable condition in its intensive care unit.

"Airman Stone arrived at the UC Davis Medical Center's Level 1 Trauma Center very early this morning with stab wounds to his torso. After evaluation by the trauma team in our emergency department, he underwent surgery, and subsequently was admitted into our intensive care unit. Airman Stone's condition is serious. While he has sustained significant injuries, airman Stone's care team anticipates that he will make a full recovery. I cannot comment on, and will not answer questions related to how the patient's injuries were sustained, or the investigation by the Sacramento Police Department," said Dr Douglas Kirk, the hospital's chief medical officer.

Stone was heavily sedated after undergoing surgery for about two hours to repair damage from stab wounds to his torso, Kirk said.

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