American military personnel attacked on Paris-bound train

Officials say three people were injured overall as two Americans subdued the shooter.

“The passengers are safe, the situation has been brought under control”, train operator Thalys, which is jointly owned by the national rail companies of Belgium, France and Germany, said on Twitter.

The U.S. Marines reportedly “detained” the terrorist suspect until the train, which was carrying approximately 550 passengers, arrived in the town of Arras in Northern France. The well-known French actor Jean-Hughes Anglade suffered minor injuries while breaking the emergency glass to pull the train’s alarm.

The interior minister praised the Americans, one of whom was seriously injured, as was another passenger.

France’s interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve is en route to Arras, which is located 115 miles north of Paris. He was quoted by The Telegraph as saying that the two Americans who subdued the gunman were “particularly courageous and showed extreme bravery in extremely hard circumstances”.

The American are believed to be U.S. Marines, dressed in civilian clothing. CNN reported that a security official said it appeared the suspect had ties to the Islamic State, although that has not been confirmed.

No one at the SNCF French railways was immediately available to comment on the report.

The suspect carried an automatic weapon and a bladed weapon, said Christophe Piednoel, spokesman from the French railway company SNCF.

In January, 17 people were killed in two attacks, one on satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and another, a day later, at a kosher grocery in Paris.

The president said he had spoken with the Belgian prime minister, and the two leaders pledged to cooperate on the investigation.

The attacker allegedly was equipped with numerous guns and blades, and had a Kalashnikov rifle, AFP said, citing an unidentified police official.

“Everything is being done to shed light on this tragedy and obtain all the necessary information about what happened”, Hollande said.

The agency did not identify the Marine, only confirming that the person had been injured. “We will remain in close contact with French authorities as the investigation proceeds”.