Fri Aug 21, 2015, 06:14 PM

US Service Members foil suspected terrorist attack (UPDATED)

Last edited Sat Aug 22, 2015, 04:12 PM - Edit history (1)

Additional details to earlier reports --

Unarmed US Marines foil suspected terrorist attack onboard high-speed train between Amsterdam and Paris after they take down Kalashnikov-wielding Moroccan gunman known to intelligence services

A group of unarmed US Marines on board a high-speed train between Amsterdam and Paris foiled a terrorist attack after a gunman opened fire with an assault rifle, wounding three people.

The 26-year-old Moroccan national, who was known to security services, came out of the toilet brandishing the gun and opened fire. Fortunately, two US Marines were nearby and overpowered him before he could massacre passengers.

The suspected terrorist had at least nine full magazines of ammunition holding almost 300 rounds. He was also carrying a knife.

Unfortunately, one of the Marines was shot and is believed to be in a critical condition.

Keep fighting, Airman.

This next part leaped out at me --

Belgian journalist Marin Buxant Tweeted that the US Marines were on leave in Brussels when they spotted the man and followed him on the train. When the suspect went into the toilet, the Marines recognised the sound of a weapon being armed and decided to act immediately.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3206426/U-S-Marines-armed-gunman-onboard-high-speed-train-Amsterdam-Paris.html

UPDATE -- Not Marines as earlier reported.

An Oregon Army National Guard member from Roseburg was one of three Americans who stopped a gunman who opened fire Friday aboard a high-speed train passing through Belgium.

The guard member, 22-year-old Alek Skarlatos, had wrapped up a tour in Afghanistan in July and was spending a month in Europe with friends, his stepmother Karen Skarlatos told The Oregonian/OregonLive on Friday night.

He was on the Amsterdam-to-Paris train with a group, including childhood friends Anthony Sadler, a senior at Sacramento State University, and Spencer Stone, a member of the U.S. Air Force, Sadler told the Associated Press.

http://www.oregonlive.com/today/index.ssf/2015/08/oregon_national_guard_member_h.html

Thanks to Warren Demontague for the link.

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125 replies	Author	Time	Post
US Service Members foil suspected terrorist attack (UPDATED) (Original post)	Nuclear Unicorn	Aug 2015	OP
Semper Fi !!!	chieftain	Aug 2015	#1
Didn't know that was the Air Force motto as well.	GoneOffShore	Aug 2015	#78
This message was self-deleted by its author	Snobblevitch	Aug 2015	#84
Nope - read the BBC & France 24 accounts	GoneOffShore	Aug 2015	#85
Brave Devil Dogs. nt	msanthrope	Aug 2015	#2
How terrifying.	narnian60	Aug 2015	#3
"Hope that Marine makes it."	Nuclear Unicorn	Aug 2015	#4
So true	Duckhunter935	Aug 2015	#27
Good guys without guns foil bad guy with assault rifle and lots of	malaise	Aug 2015	#5
+If they were armed there would only be one person shot.	former9thward	Aug 2015	#6
Just like gun control kept the shooter from acquiring a rifle and nine 30-round magazines.	Nuclear Unicorn	Aug 2015	#7
This message was self-deleted by its author	Renew Deal	Aug 2015	#18
Like the foiled attack on Charlie Hebdo	Nuclear Unicorn	Aug 2015	#30
Exactly.	alarimer	Aug 2015	#26
Women and minorities are the fastest growing segment of the gun owning population.	Nuclear Unicorn	Aug 2015	#28
I'm a woman and a feminist - and I hate seeing men mocked	Syzygy321	Aug 2015	#47
+1 nt	steve2470	Aug 2015	#80
No telling how many lives they saved.	herding cats	Aug 2015	#8
+1000	smirkymonkey	Aug 2015	#10
+1001	SCantiGOP	Aug 2015	#24
They're no better than Westboro Baptist Church fanatics.	snagglepuss	Aug 2015	#42
You're not familiar with the OP, are you?	friendly_iconoclast	Aug 2015	#75
this nt	a la izquierda	Aug 2015	#50
Our bravest and finest did a good job here	Gothmog	Aug 2015	#9
Air Force guy.	GoneOffShore	Aug 2015	#92
How would they have recognized him?	KamaAina	Aug 2015	#11
I'm guessing a Kalashnikov and a shit ton of ammo in a bag are kind of distinctive. nt	msanthrope	Aug 2015	#13
If he was walking down the street like that	KamaAina	Aug 2015	#17
Perhaps. Perhaps not. nt	msanthrope	Aug 2015	#22
Marines I believe are commonly used for embassy security	Yo_Mama	Aug 2015	#52
embassy security	leanforward	Aug 2015	#58
Sorry, they weren't Marines.	tabasco	Aug 2015	#94
"A shit ton". That always gets me laughing! Thats a LOT!	7962	Aug 2015	#19
Brussels to Paris?	Stryder	Aug 2015	#36
There's two types of country in the world. Those who use the metric system and	Glassunion	Aug 2015	#38
Another good one! nt	7962	Aug 2015	#63
article says they heard the distinct sound of loading the gun from inside the restroom	HFRN	Aug 2015	#29
They weren't passengers....they saw the guy in the station and followed him onto the train. nt	msanthrope	Aug 2015	#57
That was after they were on the train.	KamaAina	Aug 2015	#65
They probably saw something that set off danger signals,	GGJohn	Aug 2015	#67
They've been trained at recognizing suspicious people.	7962	Aug 2015	#21
Post #12 suggests Islamophobia	Nuclear Unicorn	Aug 2015	#31
Whoever post 12 is must have me on ignore	yeoman6987	Aug 2015	#34
You and about 45 others according to his boasts. Frankly, I'm surprised he saw the OP. I was	Nuclear Unicorn	Aug 2015	#53
...	pinboy3niner	Aug 2015	#56
laughing so hard right now......	7962	Aug 2015	#64
Lol. Well their loss. Have a great weekend!	yeoman6987	Aug 2015	#68
Same here	davidpdx	Aug 2015	#118
Marines are being taught "combat profiling" enabling them	pocoloco	Aug 2015	#33
They were not Marines. nt	tblue37	Aug 2015	#100
They profiled him.	Snobblevitch	Aug 2015	#40
They weren't Marines.	GoneOffShore	Aug 2015	#93
The early reports were not sure it was a terrorist until his skin color and his religion were known.	Fred Sanders	Aug 2015	#12
Pat yourself on the back.	cherokeeprogressive	Aug 2015	#14
You're such a putz	Nuclear Unicorn	Aug 2015	#15
Just never stops does it?	7962	Aug 2015	#20
I ask, Have you no shame sir?	GGJohn	Aug 2015	#35
I may be wrong...	awoke_in_2003	Aug 2015	#44
You may be right, but given Fred's track record,	GGJohn	Aug 2015	#48
That's the way I read it.	Hassin Bin Sober	Aug 2015	#61
Its also often called "white supremacist" or "anti government"	7962	Aug 2015	#66
He was already known to the authorities, and I think the attack was the convincing item.	Yo_Mama	Aug 2015	#49
You never quit, do you?	Codeine	Aug 2015	#117
Wow... does this post make you look like an ASS, or what?	cherokeeprogressive	Aug 2015	#121
I have every confidence President Obama will ...	lpbk2713	Aug 2015	#16
President Obama won't have to worry about it	philosslayer	Aug 2015	#59
Our police could take lessons from these Marines.	Rozlee	Aug 2015	#23
A U.S. cop would have shot the guy with the	Snobblevitch	Aug 2015	#39
I would love to believe that but...	Rozlee	Aug 2015	#46
Do you know how hard it is to hit an arm or leg from a distance shot?	7962	Aug 2015	#69
A Bruce Willis movie? Are you serious?	Rozlee	Aug 2015	#102
Unarmed?	Snobblevitch	Aug 2015	#114
Huh?	Snobblevitch	Aug 2015	#70
Damn serious. Haven't you been reading about Ferguson?	Rozlee	Aug 2015	#103
What the fuck are you talking about?	Snobblevitch	Aug 2015	#115
False.	GGJohn	Aug 2015	#71
What threat did Michael Brown, Tamir Rice and Walter Scott pose?	Rozlee	Aug 2015	#105
What's that got to do with my post?	GGJohn	Aug 2015	#112
And again, what kind of threat needed to be neutralized in a suspect that was running away?	Rozlee	Aug 2015	#113
What the fuck all does any if that have to do with the OP?	Snobblevitch	Aug 2015	#116
sigh	Rozlee	Aug 2015	#122
What part of my post are you not understanding?	GGJohn	Aug 2015	#120
And I said many in the US kill even after the threat is neutralized and even when	Rozlee	Aug 2015	#123
That has zero to do with the training they receive in the academy,	GGJohn	Aug 2015	#124
Semantics.	Rozlee	Aug 2015	#125
Extreme bravery	sarisataka	Aug 2015	#25
K&R...	spanone	Aug 2015	#32
Oo-rah!	roscoeroscoe	Aug 2015	#37
Way to go, USAF andf National Guard!	LiberalEsto	Aug 2015	#41
No Marines were involved	GoneOffShore	Aug 2015	#96
bravo. this should LBN. A massacre was prevented thanks to the Marines	still_one	Aug 2015	#43
USA! USA! USA!	ericson00	Aug 2015	#45
Do I detect sarcasm,	Snobblevitch	Aug 2015	#72
dead serious. Nothing wrong with chanting our country's great name	ericson00	Aug 2015	#81
I love this story,	Syzygy321	Aug 2015	#51
My understanding is that they were already on the train	Gigabear	Aug 2015	#54
That would make more sense! Thanks. NT	Syzygy321	Aug 2015	#60
My understanding is that they saw the perp somewhere	Snobblevitch	Aug 2015	#73
Unarmed marines	leanforward	Aug 2015	#55
I take that train all the time	DFW	Aug 2015	#62
What would cause 3 presumably strange to this area to start following a stranger, and	jtuck004	Aug 2015	#101
That is a very crowded train	DFW	Aug 2015	#109
Semper Fucking A! nt	Xipe Totec	Aug 2015	#74
Is that the new Air Force motto?	GoneOffShore	Aug 2015	#95
Read the original post without edits. You'll see they were originally identified as Marines	Xipe Totec	Aug 2015	#97
Been posting this for the last six hours.	GoneOffShore	Aug 2015	#98
Wow. (edited to add: Not Marines, one Air Force one Oregon National Guard)	Warren DeMontague	Aug 2015	#76
Not sure where the 'toilet' story came from - he shot, and then the 2 decided to rush him	muriel_volestrangler	Aug 2015	#77
The Thalys trains are very narrow and very crowded	DFW	Aug 2015	#89
See #79 - it now seems it was another who struggled with him first	muriel_volestrangler	Aug 2015	#90
KGW looks to now have some video he shot in the train...	cascadiance	Aug 2015	#106
it is now being reported by the french media	drray23	Aug 2015	#79
Very brave, fast thinking and acting!	Waiting For Everyman	Aug 2015	#82
K&R	Glassunion	Aug 2015	#83
They were not Marines.	cwydro	Aug 2015	#86
In the news report linked, they were Marines.	Glassunion	Aug 2015	#87
And often OPs edit as new info becomes available.	cwydro	Aug 2015	#88
I have added an update	Nuclear Unicorn	Aug 2015	#91
I was in the Air Force long ago.	cwydro	Aug 2015	#99
And it's good to see	sarisataka	Aug 2015	#107
Hell to the yeah. nt	cwydro	Aug 2015	#108
Ain't that some shit? Take a vacation from Afghanistan and wind up having to deal with another dick	hollowdweller	Aug 2015	#104
I hope they made his takedown very, very painful (like loss of his tackle) NT	1939	Aug 2015	#110
Someone I know just wrote that she thought this was a false flag thing or a "plant"	betsuni	Aug 2015	#111
As an American and Oregonian I am proud of these guys	davidpdx	Aug 2015	#119

Response to Nuclear Unicorn (Original post)

Fri Aug 21, 2015, 06:16 PM

chieftain (3,222 posts)

US Service Members foil suspected terrorist attack (UPDATED)

1. Semper Fi !!!

78. Didn't know that was the Air Force motto as well.

85. Nope - read the BBC & France 24 accounts

2. Brave Devil Dogs. nt

3. How terrifying.

4. "Hope that Marine makes it."

27. So true

5. Good guys without guns foil bad guy with assault rifle and lots of

6. +If they were armed there would only be one person shot.

7. Just like gun control kept the shooter from acquiring a rifle and nine 30-round magazines.

30. Like the foiled attack on Charlie Hebdo

26. Exactly.

28. Women and minorities are the fastest growing segment of the gun owning population.

47. I'm a woman and a feminist - and I hate seeing men mocked

80. +1 nt

8. No telling how many lives they saved.

10. +1000

24. +1001

42. They're no better than Westboro Baptist Church fanatics.

75. You're not familiar with the OP, are you?

50. this nt

9. Our bravest and finest did a good job here

92. Air Force guy.

11. How would they have recognized him?

13. I'm guessing a Kalashnikov and a shit ton of ammo in a bag are kind of distinctive. nt

17. If he was walking down the street like that

22. Perhaps. Perhaps not. nt

52. Marines I believe are commonly used for embassy security

58. embassy security

94. Sorry, they weren't Marines.

19. "A shit ton". That always gets me laughing! Thats a LOT!

36. Brussels to Paris?

38. There's two types of country in the world. Those who use the metric system and

63. Another good one! nt

29. article says they heard the distinct sound of loading the gun from inside the restroom

57. They weren't passengers....they saw the guy in the station and followed him onto the train. nt

65. That was after they were on the train.

67. They probably saw something that set off danger signals,

21. They've been trained at recognizing suspicious people.

31. Post #12 suggests Islamophobia

34. Whoever post 12 is must have me on ignore

53. You and about 45 others according to his boasts. Frankly, I'm surprised he saw the OP. I was

56. ...

64. laughing so hard right now......

68. Lol. Well their loss. Have a great weekend!

118. Same here

33. Marines are being taught "combat profiling" enabling them

100. They were not Marines. nt

40. They profiled him.

93. They weren't Marines.

12. The early reports were not sure it was a terrorist until his skin color and his religion were known.

14. Pat yourself on the back.

15. You're such a putz

20. Just never stops does it?

35. I ask, Have you no shame sir?

44. I may be wrong...

48. You may be right, but given Fred's track record,

61. That's the way I read it.

66. Its also often called "white supremacist" or "anti government"

49. He was already known to the authorities, and I think the attack was the convincing item.

117. You never quit, do you?

121. Wow... does this post make you look like an ASS, or what?

16. I have every confidence President Obama will ...

59. President Obama won't have to worry about it

23. Our police could take lessons from these Marines.

39. A U.S. cop would have shot the guy with the

46. I would love to believe that but...

69. Do you know how hard it is to hit an arm or leg from a distance shot?

102. A Bruce Willis movie? Are you serious?

114. Unarmed?

70. Huh?

103. Damn serious. Haven't you been reading about Ferguson?

115. What the fuck are you talking about?

71. False.

105. What threat did Michael Brown, Tamir Rice and Walter Scott pose?

112. What's that got to do with my post?

113. And again, what kind of threat needed to be neutralized in a suspect that was running away?

116. What the fuck all does any if that have to do with the OP?

122. *sigh*

122. sigh