U.S. Marines Overpower Gunman In French Train Shooting

At least two American military members were on the Paris-bound train, and were initially thought to have been critically injured in the attack, however other news sources said one of the two critically hurt is British.

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

Three people were injured, including two in serious situation, the Elysee added without giving details on their identities.

The motives for the shooting were not immediately known, although French prosecutors said counter-terrorism investigators had taken over the probe.

French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve went to Arras in the wake of the incident, which occurred shortly after 6.00 pm (2am AEST). A third, the French actor Jean-Hugues Anglade, 60, was reportedly injured while breaking a window trying to raise the alarm that an attack was underway.

The man was later arrested and identified by police as Sliman Hamzi, 26, who is from Morocco. “We are in contact with them and are urgently seeking more information”.

The gunman began shooting in the rear of the Thalys train as it raced through Belgium, French president François Hollande said. The pair, who were in civilian clothes, started monitoring the gunman after passengers noticed his behavior was erratic, media reports said.

Friday’s attack came less than two months after a man in southeastern France attacked a chemical factory and decapitated his former boss, chaining the head to a fence. All four countries are part of the Schengen area through which people travel without the need for passports and security check-ins. “Everything is being done to shed light on this tragedy”, the French leader said in a statement.

Unfortunately one of the Marines was shot during the attack and is reportedly in critical condition.

Police officers work on a platform next to a Thalys train at Arras train station, northern France, Friday, August 21, 2015.

French authorities have been on high alert since Islamic militants killed 17 people in and around Paris in January. Meanwhile, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls tweeted his “gratitude” to those who intervened to stop the gunman on the train.