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'Terror' shooting wounds three on international train in Belgium

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Saturday, August 22, 2015

 
— August 24, 2015
 
This article accurately records what was at the time widely reported by stating that two US Marines tackled the gunman. He was tackled by several passengers and train staff. These included a US Air Force Airman and a US National Guard Specialist.
 
File image of a Thalys train in Amsterdam.
Image: User:T Houdijk.
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A gunman yesterday wounded three people on an international train in Belgium, near the French border. Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel called the shooting a "terrorist attack" and French counterterrorism police are investigating.

Two United States Marines on the train heard a weapon being loaded in a bathroom. When the man exited the toilet, the unarmed Marines tackled him. One Marine was injured. French actor Jean-Hugues Anglade was injured slightly by broken glass.

A man, believed to be a 26-year-old Moroccan, was arrested at the station in Arras, France. Some passengers reportedly leapt from the train as it passed through Henin-Beaumont. The high-speed Thalys service was headed from Amsterdam to Paris.

French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve travelled to Arras after the incident. He has met with passengers including Anglade. He said the two Marines are "particularly courageous and showed great bravery in very difficult circumstances [...] Without their composure we could have been confronted with a terrible incident." French Prime Minister Manuel Valls also expressed gratitude to the Marines.

The suspect is reported to have been carrying knives, a kalashnikov rifle, and a handgun. Press reports suggest intelligence agencies were aware of him. Rail operator SNCF say over 550 passengers were on board. Reports indicate the shooting was towards the rear.

Local prosecutors said counterterror resources were involved "in view of the weaponry used, the way it happened and the context". French President Francois Hollande promised "Everything is being done to shed light on this tragedy."


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  This page is archived, and is no longer publicly editable.
Articles presented on Wikinews reflect the specific time at which they were written and published, and do not attempt to encompass events or knowledge which occur or become known after their publication.

Got a correction? Add the template {{editprotected}} to the talk page along with your corrections, and it will be brought to the attention of the administrators.

Please note that due to our archival policy, we will not alter or update the content of articles that are archived, but will only accept requests to make grammatical and formatting corrections.

Note that some listed sources or external links may no longer be available online due to age.

The text of this article is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License
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