French train terror attack: British hero tells how he helped tackle gunman

The British rail passenger who helped to foil a terrorist attack on a high-speed train from Amsterdam to Paris has described the moment he helped three other men tackled the gunman.

Chris Norman, 62, was travelling on board the high speed Thalys train when the Moroccan terrorist opened fire with a Kalashnikov, wounding two people.

He said: "It could have been a real carnage, there's no question about that."

Mr Norman, who is from the UK but now lives in France, helped US airman Spencer Stone and his friends Alek Skarlatos and Anthony Sadler to wrestle the attacker to the ground, stopping what could have been a fatal attack.

He said: “I looked up and saw a guy carrying an AK-47 or at least I assume it was some kind of machine-gun.

“I ducked down in my seat. Alek got up and Spencer got up and they looked at what was happening and Alek said to Spencer 'go get him'.

“Spencer jumped up and tackled him and actually started getting the terrorist under control.'

Mr Norman described how Mr Skarlatos and Mr Sadler also leapt into action and helped the airman to restrain the gunman.

He added: “I came in at the end of it all, and I guess just helped to get the guy under control at the end.

“We ended up tying him up and during the process the guy pulled out a cutter and started cutting Spencer, behind the neck, and he nearly cut his thumb off. But Spencer held him and we eventually got him under control and the terrorist went unconscious I think.”

Mr Norman is a management consultant and risk assessor with more than 30-years’ experience, based in the French city of Nimes.

He was born in Uganda and attended the University of Cape Town, before going on to take a master’s degree at Reading University and a diploma in accountancy at the then Polytechnic of Central London.
He has spent the past two decades working in France.

According to his LinkedIn profile he currently “provides mergers and acquisitions consulting services for businesses wishing to set up or optimise their operations in Africa”.

The mayor of Arras, Frederic Leturque, who presented a civic medal to Mr Norman and the other men in recognition of their bravery, told the Telegraph:

"Three servicemen who happened to be in the train going on holiday in France saw the gunman go into the toilet with a bulky bag. Then they heard the noise of him loading a gun and they went to the door of the toilet and managed to overpower him when he came out.

"A British man, Chris (Norman) and other passengers also helped tackle him and tie him up. When the shots were fired, a Frenchman was hit in the neck.

"I gave medals during the night to several of the passengers who acted with such bravery in the train, including the British man, who lives in France."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/11818051/British-train-terror-hero-tells-how-he-helped-tackle-gunman.html