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French train shooting: Three injured after 'gunman fires Kalashnikov' on Amsterdam to Paris train French train shooting: Three injured after gunman opens fire on Amsterdam to Paris train
(35 minutes later)
A man has reportedly been arrested following a shooting on a train travelling from Amsterdam to Paris. A gunman has injured three people - two critically - after he opened fire on a high-speed French train travelling from Amsterdam to Paris.
The man allegedly used a Kalashnikov rifle during the apparent shooting on a Thalys train which was near the northern French town of Arras, La Voix du Nord newspaper reported. The suspect, who was armed with an automatic rifle and a knife, opened fire on the Thalys train at around 6pm local time (4pm BST), according to a spokesman for the SNCF national rail operator.
The Thalys train operator has tweeted that the emergency services are on site, and that passengers are safe. The train was travelling through Belgian at the time of the incident which culminated in the gunman being arrested in the northern French border-town of Arras.
The armed man was apprehended by passengers, a spokesman from SNCF told the AFP news agency. The pair, both foreigners, were off-duty members of the military according to local reports.
The train was evacuated following the shooting, and a suspect has been taken into custody, Pierre-Henri Brandet, a spokesman for the French Interior Ministry has said.
French emergency services transport a victim after a shooting on the Amsterdam to Paris Thalys high-speed train (Image: REUTERS/Antoine de Silva/l'Avenir de l'Artois/Handout) Two of the victims are now in a critical condition, according to a statement from the office of President Francois Hollande. Of the three injured, one was hurt by a gunshot and the other with a knife, according to according to the French daily Le Monde.
Speaking on the BFM TV station, Brandet added that the identity of the gunman and the motivation for the attack is unknown.
However, Sliman Hamzi, an official with the police union Alliance, told the AP news agency that the man was a 26-year-old Moroccan.
The arrested man has appeared on a French intelligence agency list, according to the AFP news angecy.
The Thalys train operator has tweeted that the emergency services attended the scene, and that passengers are safe.
@gillesklein The situation is under control, the travelers are safe. The train stopped and the emergency services are on site.@gillesklein The situation is under control, the travelers are safe. The train stopped and the emergency services are on site.
The man was apprehended by two off-duty members of the military who were onboard the train after they heard the sound of a heavy weapon being loaded in the toilet, according to the news website. The passengers approached the man after hearing the sound of a heavy weapon being loaded in the toilet, and stopped him from entering the main train aisle, according to the La Voix du Nord local newspaper.
The pair were reportedly able to apprehend the man before he could enter the train aisle. Three people were injured during the scuffle, according to the emergency services. The pair were reportedly off-duty members of the military from the US and the UK, according to Le Monde. However, La Voix du Nord has reported that the men were both US Marines.
Police officers have not ruled out terrorism as the possible motivation for the attack. Crime and forensic investigators at Arras station (Image: AFP) Following his arrest, the man has refused to speak to police officers in Arras, Le Monde reported.
French interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve is expected to attend the scene on Friday evening. President Hollande is co-operating with Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel, according a statement from the French government, as French interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve heads to the scene. 
The UK Foreign Office has told BBC News that it is aware of reports of shots being fired, and it was in touch with the French authorities.
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Additional reporting by AP and Reuters