Unarmed US marines foil attack by Moroccan gunman with Kalashnikov and handgun on train – follow live updates

From the Telegraph and The Guardian. Updates from this story first posted by Rebecca

The suspect, of Moroccan origin, is known to intelligence services, AFP reports. 

Belgian Prime Minister, Charles Michel, has said the shooting was a “terrorist attack”: “I condemn the terrorist attack on the Thalys (train) and express my sympathy for the victims,” Michel wrote on Twitter
The train was on Belgian soil at the time on its journey between Paris and Amsterdam

Le Monde reports that as well as the Kalashnikov, the 26-year-old suspect was also carrying a handgun and cartridges. 

The local paper La Voix du Nord reported that two US marines on the train had overpowered the man. The paper reported that the marines had intervened when the man was loading heavy ammunition in a toilet on the train. Both marines were reported to have been injured, one by gunfire, the other by a knife.

The train stopped at Arras station where the gunman was arrested and is currently being questioned by police. Various other arms were reportedly found in the suspect’s baggage. 

Counter-terrorist police have taken over investigation, prosecutors say “The anti-terrorist section of the prosecutor’s office has taken over this case, in agreement with the local prosecutor, in view of the weaponry used, the way it happened and the context”