French police are still investigating yesterday's terrorist incident on a moving TGV near Arras in France as a gunman opened fire with an automatic weapon.
The shooting happened just before 6pm yesterday evening on a train carrying over 500 passengers but two American servicemen and one British civilian manage to deal with the attack.
Praise was heaped on the trio by French interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve.
Two people were injured in the attack, including one of the American soldiers who was taken to hospital with knife wounds which needed surgery.
A British passenger, Chris Norman, helped the Americans tie up the suspect. The 62-year-old consultant who lives in France, said he had initially had ducked down in his seat when he saw the man enter the carriage as he was carrying a gun.
“I came in at the end and I guess just helped get the guy under control at the end of it all,” he told French reporters. “We ended up by tying him up, then during the process the guy actually pulled out a cutter and starting cutting Spencer (one of the US soldiers).
“He cut Spencer behind the neck, he nearly cut his thumb off too. Spencer held him and we eventually got him under control. He went unconscious, I think.”
French anti-terrorist police arrested the gunman after the train had made an emergency stop at Arras near the Belgian border. They now are questioning the gunman but the motive behind the attack is not yet known.
The gunman is said to be a 26-year-old with Moroccan nationality or upbringing and is known to French intelligence services.
The shooting happened just before 6pm yesterday evening on a train carrying over 500 passengers.
The arrested man was found to have weapons in his luggage including a Kalashnikov and an automatic pistol.
Chris Norman said after the incident, 'You either sit and get shot, or you get angry and do something.'
