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Saturday 22 August 2015
France: 2 Americans subdue gunman on high-speed train
GREG KELLER Police officers work on a platform next to a Thalys train at Arras train station, northern France, train was passing through
Associated Press Belgium, according to a
PARIS (AP) — A gunman Friday, Aug. 21, 2015. A gunman opened fire with an automatic weapon on a high-speed train statement from the of-
opened fire on a high- fice President Francois
speed train traveling from traveling from Amsterdam to Paris Friday, wounding three people before being subdued by Hollande. Hollande said
Amsterdam to Paris on Fri- he’s spoken with Belgian
day, wounding two peo- two American passengers, officials said. French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, speaking Prime Minister Charles Mi-
ple before two American chel, and the two lead-
passengers subdued him, in Arras in northern France where the suspected was detained, said one of the Americans was ers pledged to cooperate
officials said. closely on the investiga-
French Interior Minister Ber- hospitalized with serious wounds. (AP Photo) tion.
nard Cazeneuve, speaking A young woman said on
in Arras in northern France weapon but wounded tion, a spokeswoman for very difficult circumstanc- i-Tele that she was in the
where the suspected was one man with a handgun the Paris prosecutor’s of- es” and that “without their carriage next to the one
detained, said one of the and the other with a blade fice said. sangfroid we could have which the gunman struck.
Americans was hospital- of some kind. “As always where an act been confronted with a “I wouldn’t call it a fusil-
ized with serious wounds. The suspect is a 26-year- that could be terrorist in na- terrible drama.” lade, because even in the
Their names were not im- old Moroccan, according ture is involved, the great- A third person, French ac- next wagon we didn’t hear
mediately released. to Sliman Hamzi, an offi- est care and the greatest tor Jean-Hugues Anglade, any shots,” said Margaux,
Philippe Lorthiois, an official cial with the police union precision will be used,” Ca- suffered a minor injury who declined to give her
with the Alliance police Alliance, who spoke on zeneuve said. while activating the train’s last name. She said pas-
union, said on i-Tele that French television i-Tele. Cazeneuve said the two emergency alarm, Lorthiois sengers remained “rela-
the two Americans were Investigators from France’s Americans “were par- said. tively calm,” and some
soldiers. In Washington, the special anti-terror police ticularly courageous and The attack took place at showed no concern until
Pentagon said it “can only are leading the investiga- showed great bravery in 1545 GMT while the Thalys police boarded the train.
confirm that one U.S. mili- Europe’s major rail stations,
tary member was injured such as Paris’ Gare du Nord
in the incident. The injury is and Brussels’ Gare du Midi,
not life-threatening.” are patrolled by soldiers
A White House official armed with rifles, but pas-
told reporters that Presi- sengers can board most
dent Barack Obama was high-speed trains without
briefed on the shooting, passing through metal de-
and said, “While the inves- tectors or having their bags
tigation into the attack is searched.
in its early stages, it is clear One exception is the Eu-
that their heroic actions rostar between Paris and
may have prevented a far London. Passengers on
worse tragedy.” those trains must pass
Contrary to early reports, through a metal detec-
Lorthiois said the attacker tor and have their bags
did not fire his automatic scanned as well.q
White House: No. 2 IS leader killed in US military airstrike
D. SUPERVILLE Mosul, in northern Iraq, he planned operations his influence spanned fi- The Islamic State lead-
H. HENDAWI when he was killed Tues- during the past two years, nance, media, operations er uses hand-delivered
Associated Press day. including an offensive the and logistics for the group. mail to communicate with
OAK BLUFFS, Massachu- As the senior deputy to Is- group launched in Mosul in But his removal from the leaders of the group, shun-
setts (AP) — The No. 2 lamic State leader Abu Bakr June 2014. He was a mem- scene is unlikely to affect IS ning theuse of more trace-
leader of the Islamic State al-Baghdadi, al-Hayali was ber of al-Qaida in Iraq, the operations or weaken the able telephones or email.
militant group was killed the primary coordinator for predecessor group to the group and will most likely He has recently, according
in a U.S. military airstrike in moving large amounts of Islamic State. lead to even tighter secu- to the officials, brought to
Iraq earlier this week, the weapons, explosives, vehi- Also killed in Tuesday’s air- rity and secrecy around his inner circle former fel-
White House said Friday. cles and people between strike was an Islamic State al-Baghdadi, whom Iraqi low inmates from his time
Ned Price, a spokesman for Iraq and Syria, where IS mil- media operative known as intelligence officials say at the U.S.-run detention
the White House National itants control vast amounts Abu Abdullah. has mostly kept out of sight facility known as Bocca
Security Council, said Fad- of territory. Price characterized al- since he was wounded in in southern Iraq, where he
hil Ahmad al-Hayali was Al-Hayali oversaw the Is- Hayali’s death as a blow to an Iraqi airstrike near the was held nearly 10 years
traveling in a vehicle near lamic State in Iraq, where the organization because Syrian border. ago.q
