By BI: A Moroccan MUSLIM gunman, who opened fire with an assault rifle onboard a high-speed train was taken down by a group of US Marines who were traveling on the service.  The Muslim terrorist, known by French intelligence services, is understood to have been overheard loading the Kalashnikov AK-47 assault rifle in the toilet by the un-armed Marines.

This Daily Mail article does not confirm that the gunman is a Muslim, but breaking reports on radio do. If you enlarge the below photo of the gunman here: Daily Mail, he looks like a Muslim of Moroccan origin.

UPDATE  A US Marine is in critical condition after tackling a Kalashnikov-wielding gunman on a train between Amsterdam and Paris, according to French media reports. The serviceman, who has not been named, was one of two Americans on leave – possibly embassy guards – who tackled the 26-year-old Moroccan national to the ground after hearing him load up a gun in the toilet.

In the scuffle, one of the Marines was shot and is now in a critical condition, France Info reports. He was airlifted to CHR hospital in Lille, France. The other Marine was stabbed, and has been taken to the central hospital of Arras with serious but not life-threatening injuries.

Addressing reporters at the station in Arras, northern France, Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve praised their bravery. ‘I would like to express our gratitude to and admiration for these two American passengers,’ said Cazeneuve.

‘Thanks to the calm composure of the two American passengers, we have avoided a tragedy. Without them we would have faced a terrible drama.’ ‘They were particularly courageous and showed extreme bravery in extremely difficult circumstances.’

Daily Mail  Three people were injured when the MUSLIM opened fire, but he was soon forced to the ground and detained. The MUSLIM man was arrested by police near the town of Arras in northern France.

Train company Thalys confirmed the incident happened. A spokesman said: ‘The situation is under control, the travellers are safe. The train stopped and the emergency services are on site.’

French police recovered at least nine full magazines of ammunition from the suspect’s backpack

A report on Twitter said that three US Marines detained the Muslim gunman until emergency services arrived.  French newspaper Le Monde is reporting that one Briton and one American may be among the injured.

The motives behind the attack were not immediately known, although a spokesman for the interior minister said: ‘It is too early to speak of a a Muslim terrorist link’. (That’s code for he is a Muslim but we don’t know if he is a lone wolf or affiliated with terrorists)

A spokesman for the French state rail company SNCF said that the assailant was armed with guns and knives but gave no further details about the attack. The spokesman had said earlier that three people were injured, two of them seriously, and that at least one suffered gunshot wounds.

An injured man is helped from Arras railway station following a shooting incident on a train to Paris from