Americans, French, English Subdue Gunman

[annaj26]

Chris Norman, a British man who helped other men restrain the gunman in Friday's train attack in Europe, told reporters in France Saturday that he was sitting in the coach when he heard a shot and then some glass breaking, and then saw a man with a gun.

"My first reaction was to sit down and hide. Then I heard one guy, an American, say, 'Go get him,' and I heard another American say, 'Don't you do that, buddy.' ... I jumped up and I was actually the fourth (person) to begin working on the terrorist."

Adding to what he thought about helping, Norman said: "My thought was, 'OK, I'm probably going to die anyway, so let's go.'"

The struggle was brief, bloody and chaotic.

The high-speed train was zipping from Amsterdam to Paris on Friday when a shirtless man emerged from the bathroom -- a rifle slung over his shoulder, witnesses said.

A French passenger and three Americans -- a civilian, an Air Force member and a National Guard member -- jumped into action. They quickly tackled him, possibly averting a massacre aboard the train.

By the time the suspect was subdued, three people had nonlife-threatening injuries, said Anthony Blondeau, a spokesman for Arras city in northern France, where the train pulled up after the incident and the suspect was arrested. One of the Americans was among the injured.

Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said Saturday in Paris that the Frenchman was the first to intervene, followed quickly by the Americans.

Train heroes: The men who helped avert a massacre in Europe

The identity of the suspect is not yet fully established, but he could be a man of Moroccan origin, who lived in Spain in 2014 and Belgium in 2015 and had ties to radical Islam, according to Cazeneuve.

The suspected attacker was armed with a Kalashnikov assault weapon, nine chargers, a Luger automatic pistol, a 9mm charger and a box cutter, the minister said.

A "French passenger tried courageously to overpower him before the suspect fired several shots, then two American passengers intervened and managed to overpower the shooter, immobilized him on the ground and put aside his weaponry," Cazeneuve said.

2 members of U.S. military stop Islamist attacker on train in Belgium

A senior European counterterrorism official told CNN terrorism analyst Paul Cruickshank that the suspect was linked to Belgian investigations into radical Islamist networks. The official said Belgian authorities are looking into whether the suspected gunman traveled to Syria.

the rest
www.cnn.com/2015/08/22/europe/france-train-shooting-americans-overpower/index.html

[fretslider]

Aug 22, 2015 11:31:33 GMT -5 annaj26 said:

Chris Norman, a British man who helped other men restrain the gunman in Friday's train attack in Europe, told reporters in France Saturday that he was sitting in the coach when he heard a shot and then some glass breaking, and then saw a man with a gun.

"My first reaction was to sit down and hide. Then I heard one guy, an American, say, 'Go get him,' and I heard another American say, 'Don't you do that, buddy.' ... I jumped up and I was actually the fourth (person) to begin working on the terrorist."

Adding to what he thought about helping, Norman said: "My thought was, 'OK, I'm probably going to die anyway, so let's go.'"

The struggle was brief, bloody and chaotic.

The high-speed train was zipping from Amsterdam to Paris on Friday when a shirtless man emerged from the bathroom -- a rifle slung over his shoulder, witnesses said.

A French passenger and three Americans -- a civilian, an Air Force member and a National Guard member -- jumped into action. They quickly tackled him, possibly averting a massacre aboard the train.

By the time the suspect was subdued, three people had nonlife-threatening injuries, said Anthony Blondeau, a spokesman for Arras city in northern France, where the train pulled up after the incident and the suspect was arrested. One of the Americans was among the injured.

Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said Saturday in Paris that the Frenchman was the first to intervene, followed quickly by the Americans.

Train heroes: The men who helped avert a massacre in Europe

The identity of the suspect is not yet fully established, but he could be a man of Moroccan origin, who lived in Spain in 2014 and Belgium in 2015 and had ties to radical Islam, according to Cazeneuve.

The suspected attacker was armed with a Kalashnikov assault weapon, nine chargers, a Luger automatic pistol, a 9mm charger and a box cutter, the minister said.

A "French passenger tried courageously to overpower him before the suspect fired several shots, then two American passengers intervened and managed to overpower the shooter, immobilized him on the ground and put aside his weaponry," Cazeneuve said.

2 members of U.S. military stop Islamist attacker on train in Belgium

A senior European counterterrorism official told CNN terrorism analyst Paul Cruickshank that the suspect was linked to Belgian investigations into radical Islamist networks. The official said Belgian authorities are looking into whether the suspected gunman traveled to Syria.

the rest
www.cnn.com/2015/08/22/europe/france-train-shooting-americans-overpower/index.html

Apparently the train crew locked themselves in a safe area and ignored pleas for help.

That's the French we know and love.

[beth]

Aug 22, 2015 14:55:02 GMT -5 fretslider said:

Aug 22, 2015 11:31:33 GMT -5 annaj26 said:

Chris Norman, a British man who helped other men restrain the gunman in Friday's train attack in Europe, told reporters in France Saturday that he was sitting in the coach when he heard a shot and then some glass breaking, and then saw a man with a gun.

"My first reaction was to sit down and hide. Then I heard one guy, an American, say, 'Go get him,' and I heard another American say, 'Don't you do that, buddy.' ... I jumped up and I was actually the fourth (person) to begin working on the terrorist."

Adding to what he thought about helping, Norman said: "My thought was, 'OK, I'm probably going to die anyway, so let's go.'"

The struggle was brief, bloody and chaotic.

The high-speed train was zipping from Amsterdam to Paris on Friday when a shirtless man emerged from the bathroom -- a rifle slung over his shoulder, witnesses said.

A French passenger and three Americans -- a civilian, an Air Force member and a National Guard member -- jumped into action. They quickly tackled him, possibly averting a massacre aboard the train.

By the time the suspect was subdued, three people had nonlife-threatening injuries, said Anthony Blondeau, a spokesman for Arras city in northern France, where the train pulled up after the incident and the suspect was arrested. One of the Americans was among the injured.

Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said Saturday in Paris that the Frenchman was the first to intervene, followed quickly by the Americans.

Train heroes: The men who helped avert a massacre in Europe

The identity of the suspect is not yet fully established, but he could be a man of Moroccan origin, who lived in Spain in 2014 and Belgium in 2015 and had ties to radical Islam, according to Cazeneuve.

The suspected attacker was armed with a Kalashnikov assault weapon, nine chargers, a Luger automatic pistol, a 9mm charger and a box cutter, the minister said.

A "French passenger tried courageously to overpower him before the suspect fired several shots, then two American passengers intervened and managed to overpower the shooter, immobilized him on the ground and put aside his weaponry," Cazeneuve said.

2 members of U.S. military stop Islamist attacker on train in Belgium

A senior European counterterrorism official told CNN terrorism analyst Paul Cruickshank that the suspect was linked to Belgian investigations into radical Islamist networks. The official said Belgian authorities are looking into whether the suspected gunman traveled to Syria.

the rest
www.cnn.com/2015/08/22/europe/france-train-shooting-americans-overpower/index.html

Apparently the train crew locked themselves in a safe area and ignored pleas for help.

That's the French we know and love.

You'd think the crew would have been armed and kprepared for such things.

[fretslider]

The French were reluctant to admit this was another Islamic attack. Hollande is a dead loss

[mouse]

they were even more reluctant to admit that a Brit was involved in the downing of the wannabe shooter

[beth]

Aug 23, 2015 10:13:39 GMT -5 mouse said:

they were even more reluctant to admit that a Brit was involved in the downing of the wannabe shooter

I can relate to the "heroes". The worst would have been better than what he'd have done to them if they'd done nothing. Best to give it a try.

[mouse]

the two young servicemen did exactly what they have been trained to do...which to react to a situation ..their training payed off well
and it wont be only the French who are reluctant to name it an Islamic attack
but it sends a message loud and clear...and that is that the islamics may have the element of surprise on their side....but at least some in the west are now prepared to fight back...its a very important step in the mental war which is being played out...fight back...because so far there has been precious little visual fight back and the first few steps are always the hardest...and here are three or four members of the public willing to do what it takes rather than go quiet into that good night....a splendid job by those men..
and rampant and open cowerdice from those whose job it is to protect the passengers in their care
and the chap from the UK 100%correct in his reasoning...if it all points to your going to be killed what have you to lose by trying to bring down the wannabe killer....
and of course yet again the security services KNEW all about this pathetic creature and yet again he was free to attempt murder and mayhem
pity he wasn't shot in the struggle...would have saved a lot of trouble all round