Three people have been hurt after a
heavily armed man opened fire on a train in northern France, before
being overpowered by two American passengers.
The incident happened on the high-speed Thalys service near Arras, and the attacker was arrested at Arras station.
The interior minister praised the Americans, one of whom was seriously injured, as was another passenger.
The man arrested was a 26-year-old Moroccan. Anti-terrorist officers have taken over the case.
The weapons were said to include a Kalashnikov, a knife, an automatic pistol and cartridges.
One of the two people seriously hurt had a gunshot wound, the other a knife wound.
Media captionFrance's
interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve praised the action of American
passengers who prevented what he called a "terrible drama"
The suspect was arrested at Arras station
Police stand near gun cartridges and a backpack at Arras station
French media said the arrested
man was known to the intelligence services. The suspect has so far
refused to talk to police in Arras.
Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel said the incident was a "terrorist attack".
French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve travelled to Arras in the wake of the attack.
He
said: "As always where an act that could be terrorist in nature is
involved, the greatest care and the greatest precision will be used."
He praised the Americans who overpowered the suspect.
Mr
Cazeneuve said they were "particularly courageous and showed great
bravery in very difficult circumstances", adding: "Without their
composure we could have been confronted with a terrible incident."
French
media said the passengers who overpowered the suspect were US Marines
who had heard the man loading a weapon in a toilet cubicle and
confronted him when he came out.
Mr Cazeneuve said the attack had taken place at 17:45 local time (15:45 GMT). Mr
Cazeneuve said he had also met French actor Jean-Hugues Anglade, who
was lightly wounded when breaking glass to sound the alarm, and other
passengers.
"My thoughts are with the wounded and with the passengers who are in a state of shock," Mr Cazeneuve said.
'Under control'
Initial
reports suggested the second person seriously hurt was a Briton, but
the UK Foreign Office later said there were no reports that British
nationals were hurt.
Images shared on social media appeared to show a man being restrained on the station platform in Arras.
One photograph showed an injured man in a blue top and jeans lying on the floor of the train.
French rail firm SNCF said there had been 554 people on board the train.
French actor Jean-Hugues Anglade cut his hand smashing the alarm glass
"The situation is under
control, the travellers are safe. The train stopped and the emergency
services are on site," the Thalys official Twitter account tweeted.
Thalys said several trains had been delayed in the wake of the attack.
France
has been on edge since the attack on the Charlie Hebdo magazine and a
Jewish supermarket in Paris in January, which left 17 people dead.
And
in June a man said to be inspired by the Islamic State group beheaded
his boss and tried to blow up a gas plant in southern France.
Are you affected by issues covered in this story? Let us know about your experiences. Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk with your stories.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways:
No comments:
Post a Comment