US 'heroes' rushed France train gunman

Three American men are being hailed as heroes for overpowering a heavily-armed gunman on a train in northern France.

The incident happened on the high-speed Thalys service near Arras. A 26-year-old Moroccan man was arrested at Arras station.

One of the Americans said they took an AK-47 assault rifle and a handgun from the attacker as they saw him walk down the aisle of the train.

They then put him in a chokehold until he was unconscious.

Two of the American men who overpowered the gunman, Spencer Stone and Alek Skarlatos, are members of the Air Force and the National Guard respectively.

They were travelling on the train from Amsterdam to Paris on Friday evening with a childhood friend, Anthony Sadler, who also helped restrain the attacker.

"Spencer got to the guy first and grabbed the guy by the neck," Mr Skarlatos told Sky News.

"I grabbed the handgun, got that away from the guy and threw it. Then I grabbed the AK-47, which was at his feet, and started muzzle-bumping him in the head with it.

"Everybody just started beating the guy while Spencer held the chokehold until he went unconscious."

When he checked the AK-47, Mr Skarlotos said it had jammed and would not have been able to fire. The cartridge for the handgun had also been dropped, he said.

French authorities said three people were injured, two of them seriously - one with a gunshot wound, the other a knife wound.

Chris Norman, a British man living in France, was also hurt while trying to subdue the attacker.

"I came in at the end of it all and helped get him under control," he said at a news conference in Arras.

"The guy pulled out a cutter and started cutting Spencer - he cut behind his neck and nearly cut his thumb off."

Another man, who has not been identified, suffered severe cuts to his neck. Spencer Stone went to help him despite his own injuries. Mr Stone remains in hospital.