US marines prevent French train massacre
President Obama expressed profound gratitude for the “courage and quick thinking” of several passengers, including US service members, who subdued the gunman on the Amsterdam-Paris train. Their heroic actions may have prevented a far worse tragedy, he said.
The two Americans, described as unarmed US marines, who subdued the gunman were Anthony Sadler, from Pittsburg, California and Alek Skarlatos from Roseburg, Oregon. Chris Norman, a Briton living in France, pitched in to help them. French news accounts said he was armed with an automatic pistol, a Kalashnikov rifle and a box cutter knife.
The high-speed train is popular for travel between France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. It is used extensively by businesspeople, diplomats, European Union officials and tourists. Unlike the Eurostar train between Paris and London, luggage does not pass through X-ray machines or other forms of screening.
