EgyptAir MS804 Traces of explosives found on victims

Traces of explosives found on victims of EgyptAir Paris-Cairo flight: Civil aviation ministry

لجنة تحقيق طائرة مصر للطيران المنكوبة: آثار مواد متفجرة على رفات الضحايا

Part of a plane chair among recovered debris of the EgyptAir jet that crashed in the Mediterranean Sea is seen in this handout image released May 21, 2016

بعد مرور 6 أشهر.. "الطب الشرعى" ينتهى من تحليل رفات ضحايا طائرة مصر للطيران المنكوبة.. لجنة التحقيق: وجود آثار مواد متفجرة على رفات الضحايا.. وخبراء الطيران: التقرير يشير لوضع المتفجرات بكابينة الركاب

قالت لجنة التحقيق فى حادث طائرة مصر للطيران رقم 804 التى سقطت فوق مياه البحر الأبيض المتوسط شهر مايو الماضى إنه ورد إلى الإدارة المركزية للحوادث تقارير الطب الشرعى بجمهورية مصر العربية بشأن جثامين ضحايا الطائرة وقد تضمنت الإشارة إلى العثور على آثار مواد متفجرة ببعض الرفاة البشرية الخاصة بضحايا الحادث.

Egypt’s civil ‎aviation ministry said on Thursday that traces of explosives were found on the remains of the victims on the EgyptAir Paris-Cairo flight that crashed over the Mediterranean last summer.

وأضافت اللجنة فى بيان صحفى اليوم الخميس أنه تطبيقا للمادة رقم (108) من قانون الطيران المدنى رقم 28 لسنة 1981 والمعدل بالقانون رقم  136 لسنة 2010 والتى تقضى بأنه إذا تبين للجنة التحقيق الفنى وجود شبهة جنائية وراء الحادث وجب عليها إبلاغ النيابة العامة، وعليه فإن لجنة التحقيق الفنى قد أحالت الأمر إلى النيابة العامة، كما وضعت اللجنة الفنية خبراتها تحت تصرف النيابة .

The investigative committee looking into the crash will refer the matter to the Egyptian general ‎prosecution, the ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

قالت لجنة التحقيق فى حادث طائرة مصر للطيران رقم 804 التى سقطت فوق مياه البحر الأبيض المتوسط شهر مايو الماضى: إنه وردت إلى الإدارة المركزية للحوادث تقارير الطب الشرعى بجمهورية مصر العربية بشأن جثامين ضحايا الطائرة، وقد تضمنت الإشارة إلى العثور على آثار مواد متفجرة ببعض الرفات البشرية الخاصة بضحايا الحادث.

وأضافت اللجنة فى بيان صحفى اليوم الخميس، أنه تطبيقا للمادة رقم (108) من قانون الطيران المدنى رقم 28 لسنة 1981 والمعدل بالقانون رقم 136 لسنة 2010 والتى تقضى بأنه إذا تبين للجنة التحقيق الفنى وجود شبهة جنائية وراء الحادث وجب عليها إبلاغ النيابة العامة، وعليه فإن لجنة التحقيق الفنى قد أحالت الأمر إلى النيابة العامة، كما وضعت اللجنة الفنية خبراتها تحت تصرف النيابة.

ووصف أحد خبراء الطيران التقرير الصادر عن الطب الشرعى المصرى حول العثور على آثار مواد متفجر ببعض رفات ضحايا طائرة مصر للطيران، بأنه يشير إلى وجود شبهة جنائية، ما يستوجب تحويل الملف إلى النيابة العامة لتباشر تحقيقاتها واتخاذ إجراءاتها.

 وأضاف أن اللجنة اتخذت جميع الخطوات الأولية لمعرفة أسباب سقوط الطائرة وهى سجلات الطائرة وصلاحيتها وعمليات التفتيش عليها وسجلات الطائرين وعمليات تدريبهم وصلاحيتهم للطيران ورخصتهم وعدد ساعات طيرانهم، إضافة إلى انتشال حطام الطائرة وعمل "شبه تجميع" لهيكل الطائر ثم عمل خريطة حطام أقرب ما يكون من شكل الطائرة لمعرفة إذا كان حدث تفجير داخل الطائرة ومعرفة أسبابه وكشف غموض السقوط، وأيضا العثور على الصندوقين الأسودين وتفريغ محتوياتهما، والمحادثات بين كابينة الطائرة وأبراج المراقبة، لافتا إلى أن فحص رفات ضحايا الطائرة أهم مرحلة فى التحقيق.

 وأوضح أن وجود آثار مواد متفجرة على بعض رفات ضحايا الطائرة يشير بشكل مبدئى إلى أن المواد المتفجرة وضعت بكابينة الركاب وليس بمخزن الأمتعة أو أى مكان آخر بجسم الطائرة، مؤكدا أننا ننتظر تحقيق النيابة العامة الجنائى وأنها سوف تستعين بالسلطات الفرنسية التى شكلت لجنة تحقيق فى فرنسا.

 وكانت لجنة التحقيق قد أعلنت مؤخرا، أن الاختبارات المكثفة التى أجريت على مكونات اللوحة الإلكترونية لجهاز مسجل محادثات الكابينة CVR للطائرة A320 بمكتب تحقيق حوادث الطيران الفرنسى، أظهرت أنه لم تتضرر أجزاء وحدة الذاكرة للوحة الخاصة بالصندوق الثانى.

وقالت اللجنة إنه تم استبدال عدد من الأجزاء الداعمة لاتصال اللوحة بأنظمة الطائرة بأجزاء جديدة، للعمل على استخلاص التسجيلات من تلك الوحدات بطرق تكنولوجية متقدمة ودقيقة.

كما جاءت نتائج الاختبارات إيجابية حيث أظهرت إمكانية قراءة التسجيلات التى تحتوى عليها وحدة الذاكرة الخاصة بالجهاز CVR.

هيئة سلامة الطيران الفرنسى: لا يمكن استخلاص نتائج بشأن طائرة مصر للطيران

أكدت هيئة سلامة الطيران الفرنسى مساء اليوم الخميس، أنه لا يمكن استخلاص نتائج بشأن أسباب تحطم طائرة مصر للطيران فى مايو الماضى بعد إعلان لجنة التحقيق المصرية العثور على آثار مواد متفجرة على رفات بعض الضحايا.

وقالت متحدثة باسم هيئة سلامة الطيران الفرنسى ردا على سؤال لفرانس برس: "فى غياب معلومات تفصيلية عن الظروف التى تم فيها أخذ العينات (من رفات الضحايا) والإجراءات التى أدت لاكتشاف آثار متفجرات، فأن هيئة سلامة الطيران تعتبر أنه لا يمكن فى هذه المرحلة استخلاص أى نتائج حول سبب الحادث" الذى أدى إلى مقتل 66 شخصا.

“Since there is criminal suspicion,” the committee will put its expertise in the hands of the prosecution, the statement added.

وفى وقت سابق الخميس، أعلنت لجنة التحقيق المصرية فى تحطم الطائرة أثناء قيامها برحلة من باريس إلى القاهرة أنه "تم العثور على آثار مواد متفجرة على رفات ضحايا الحادث".

من جهتها، قال المتحدث باسم وزارة الخارجية الفرنسية، إن وزارة الخارجية المصرية أبلغت وزارته "بتقرير للجنة التحقيق التى شكلت فى أعقاب حادثة الطائرة".

وأضاف أن "التحقيق سيستمر من أجل تحديد الإسباب الدقيقة لاختفاء هذه الرحلة". 

وتابع أن "فرنسا تبقى ، كما كانت منذ وقوع هذه الحادثة المأسوية تحت تصرف السلطات المصرية المعنية للمساهمة فى هذا التحقيق بما فى ذلك من خلال خبرائها".

On 19 May, EgyptAir flight MS804 crashed into the eastern ‎Mediterranean, killing all 66 people on board.

وأكد المتحدث أن فرنسا تأمل، بعد إحالة هذا التقرير إلى النيابة العامة أن يتم "تسليم جثامين الضحايا فى أسرع وقت ممكن إلى ذويهم".

وقالت لجنة التحقيق إن "الإدارة المركزية للحوادث تلقت تقارير الطب الشرعي" فى مصر حول "جثامين ضحايا الطائرة وقد تضمنت الإشارة إلى العثور على آثار مواد متفجرة ببعض الرفات البشرية الخاصة بضحايا الحادث" .

وأكدت أنها قررت "إحالة الأمر إلى النيابة العامة المصرية" بعد ما تبين لها "وجود شبهة جنائية" فى واقعة سقوط الطائرة

There were 30 Egyptian passengers on board, including the crew members, as well as 15 French citizens, two Iraqis and one passenger each from the UK, Canada, Belgium, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Sudan, Chad and Portugal. 

سفارة فرنسا فى مصر: التحقيقات ستستكمل لتحديد أسباب وقوع الطائرة

قالت السفارة الفرنسية لدى القاهرة فى بيان لها مساء اليوم إن وزارة الطيران الفرنسية أعلنت تقرير لجنة التحقيق التى تم تشكيلها لبحث أسباب وتفاصيل حادث رحلة شركة مصر للطيران رقم 804، مشيرة إلى أن اللجنة ستستكمل التحقيقات من أجل تحديد أسباب هذا الحادث على نحو دقيق.

وأضافت أن فرنسا ستظل تتعاون مع السلطات المصرية من خلال خبرائها من أجل المساهمة في هذه التحقيقات، مشيرة إلى أن إرسال هذا التقرير للنيابة المصرية يفتح الباب لتسليم رفات الضحايا لذويهم في أسرع وقت ممكن، وهذا ما يأمله وزير الخارجية والتنمية الدولية جان مارك إيرولت كما عبر عنه عدة مرات لدى نظيره المصرى سامح شكرى. 

The commercial flight left Paris’ Charles de Gaulle International Airport at 11:09pm GMT, and was due to land at Cairo International Airport at 01:15am GMT.

The aircraft disappeared from radar over three hours into the flight.

محقق بحوادث الطيران: إبلاغ النيابة بعد وجود شبهة جنائية بحادث الطائرة المنكوبة

قال الطيار هانى جلال، المحقق الدولى فى حوادث الطيران، إن اللجنة المصرية التى تحقق فى واقعة سقوط الطائرة المصرية القادمة من فرنسا بالبحر المتوسط، بها جانب من الخبراء الفرنسيين أيضا، لافتا إلى أن الإعلان الاخير لم يؤكد أن ما تم التصريح به هو النتائج النهائية للتحقيق، حيث خطوات التحقيق كثيرة والطب الشرعى الخطوة الخامسة بها، وكان هناك خطوات أخرى سابقة منها تحليل الصندوق الأسود.

No one has claimed responsibility for the crash.

Following the deadly May incident, Egyptian authorities opened an investigation to determine the cause of the crash.

وأضاف جلال، خلال مداخلة هاتفية مع الإعلامية ريهام إبراهيم ببرنامج ممكن المذاع على فضائية "سى بى سى"، أن تقرير الطب الشرعى أكد المعلومة التى تم أخذها من الصندوق الأسود بعد تفريغه، وبالتالى هناك استكمال للتحقيقات، مشيرا إلى أن القانون الدولى يلزم بإبلاغ النيابة حال وجود شبهة جنائية، واللجنة تكمل عملها كما هى والطب الشرعى الخطوة الأخيرة، وسيتم كتابة نتيجة التحقيق كاملة وإخطار النيابة به.

French aviation authorities as well as Airbus, the manufacturer of the plane, have contributed to the Egyptian investigation.

"العمل الإرهابى" يسقط المسئولية عن مصر للطيران فى حادث طائرة باريس

قال الدكتور أيمن سلامة أستاذ القانون الدولى العام إن مسئولية الناقل الجوي "الشركة" وفقا لبروتوكول جواتيمالا عام 1981 - مسئولية موضوعية، أى تسأل "الشركة" بصفة مطلقة عن تعويض الأضرار التى تصيب الركاب ولا تستطيع التهرب إلا إذا أثبت أن "الركاب" تسببوا أو ساهموا بخطأ في إحداث هذا الضرر.

وأضاف سلامة أنه وفقا للقانون المصري يلتزم الناقل بتعويض جميع الأضرار المادية والأدبية التي تلحق بالركاب لافتا إلى أن مسئولية الناقل تسقط إذا أثبت أن الضرر الحاصل للراكب ناتج عن قوة "قهرية"، أو عن خطأ من "الركاب"، أو عن فعل الغير "إرهاب مثلا".

‎In July, the investigative committee said the flight data recorder ‎showed that a fire erupted on board the plane shortly before the crash.

وتابع سلامة أنه عقب إعلان لجنة التحقيق المشتركة فى سقوط طائرة مصر للطيران القادمة من باريس إلى القاهرة يوم 19 مايو الماضي بمياه المتوسط اليوم العثور على مواد متفجرة على أشلاء ضحايا الطائرة فإنه يتم توجيه المحققين الجنائيين وتحديدا النيابة العامة المصرية والسلطات الفرنسية بوجود عمل إرهابى لتفجير الطائرة جوا.

وأكد سلامة أنه وفقا لقواعد القانون الدولى يستطيع الضحايا الحصول على التعويض اللازم

Investigators’ analysis of the flight data recorder indicated there was smoke in the lavatory and avionics bay. Recovered wreckage also showed “signs of damage because of high temperatures.”

Traces of explosives found in body remains of EgyptAir crash victims

The Egyptian Ministry of Civil Aviation said Thursday that traces of explosives were found on some body remains of the victims of EgyptAir flight MS804, which crashed into the Mediterranean Sea in May.

“The Central Directorate of Aircraft Accident Investigation received reports from the Forensic Medicine Authority indicating traces of explosive materials found in some of the remains of the victims’ bodies,” the ministry stated.

In a statement on behalf of the committee investigating the crash, the ministry said it referred the new findings to the General Prosecution, which will investigate the possible criminal act behind the crash.

خبير بحوادث الطيران:تحطم الطائرة المصرية أصبح جنائيا وليس فنيا.. والحكم للقضاء

قال الطيار شاكر قلادة، رئيس الإدارة المركزية لتحقيق الحوادث بوزارة الطيران المدنى سابقاً، إن التقرير الصادر عن لجنة التحقيق فى حادث طائرة مصر للطيران رقم 804، التى سقطت فى البحر المتوسط أثناء رحلتها من باريس إلى القاهرة، الذى أكد على وجود مواد متفجرة على أشلاء ضحايا الحادث، يحيل الحادث إلى من الشبهة الفنية إلى الشبهة الجنائية، مشيرا إلى أن اللجنة الفنية تختص فقط بالأمور الفنية الخاصة بالطائرة.

Investigations previously revealed that a fire on board caused the aeroplane to crash. The aeroplane left from Paris Charles de Gaulle airport and disappeared off radar screens shortly after leaving Greek aerial space, as it was destined to land in Alexandria on 19 May.

Sixty-six passengers and crew members were killed in the crash, including 15 French and 40 Egyptian citizens.

In September, the French investigation team assigned to detect reasons behind the crash of EgyptAir flight MS804 claimed it had found traces of TNT (trinitrotoluene) in the aeroplane’s debris.

On the day of the plane crash, Egyptian aviation minister Sherif Fathy said at a press conference that the “possibility of a terror attack is higher than that of a technical error.”

وأوضح قلادة أن إثبات الطب الشرعى بوجود أثر لمواد متفجرة على الضحايا يؤكد وجود عمل تخريبى تجاه الطائرة وهو بحسب الأعراف الدولية يجعلها حادثة جنائية يحكم فيها القضاء.

Fathy told reporters at the time that he reached this conclusion “based on what I read and from my expertise, but this remains assumptions and possible scenarios.”

وأشار الرئيس السابق للجنة التحقيقات بوزارة الطيران إلى البيان الرسمى للخارجية الفرنسية، الذى يخالف ما أصدرته لجنة التحقيق المختصة بالحادث بأن اللجنة المشكلة من 5 جهات، ويوجد بها عضو من الجانب الفرنسى

Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) Director Alexander Bortnikov said at the time that a terrorist act was a likely cause of the crash.

ولكن تقرير الطب الشرعى هو المحدد لوجود مواد متفجرة على جثامين الضحايا، قائلا: "من لديه إثبات عكس ذلك فليتقدم به".

France's Hollande heads to Russia to press anti-ISIS coalition

French President Francois Hollande walks to his office at the end of the weekly cabinet meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, November 25, 2015

French President Francois Hollande on Thursday will hold talks with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, as part of his diplomatic marathon to forge a broader coalition against ISIS in the wake of the Paris attacks.

The French president will meet with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi in Paris in the morning, before heading to Moscow where he will hold talks with the Russian strongman.

Hollande has been on a whirlwind tour seeking to build a coalition to crush ISIS in Iraq and Syria but has seen few concrete pledges so far, and his campaign has been further complicated by a diplomatic spat between Russia and Turkey.

France invoked a clause requiring EU member states to provide military assistance after the November 13 attacks in Paris, when 130 people lost their lives in a wave of killings by suicide bombers and gunmen claimed by ISIS.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday pledged to stand beside France in its fight against the militant group after talks with Hollande, vowing to act "swiftly" to see how Germany can help in the fight against terrorism.

The French and German leaders each laid a pink rose among the tributes of flowers and candles in Place de la Republique, the Paris square that has become a rallying point since the bloodshed.

Hours earlier, Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen said Germany would send 650 soldiers to Mali to provide some relief to French forces fighting militants there.

Meanwhile in Britain, Prime Minister David Cameron will on Thursday set out the case for his country to extend its air strikes against ISIS from Iraq into Syria ahead of a vote by MPs next week.

The British premier has called ISIS a "direct threat to our security at home and abroad" and on Monday offered to let France use the RAF Akrotiri air base in Cyprus when flying missions against the militants.

Cameron met with Hollande earlier this week and has said he "firmly supported" France's actions, but US President Barack Obama has given the idea of greater cooperation with Russia against ISIS a much cooler reception.

Hollande's diplomatic efforts also suffered a blow after Turkey shot down a Russian jet, sparking a diplomatic incident between the rival powers fighting in Syria that has threatened to escalate into a wider conflict.

Turkey's military said Wednesday it did not know the warplane it shot down was Russian and it was ready for "all kinds of cooperation" with Russia, after Moscow called the incident a "planned provocation".

The sole surviving pilot said he had received no warning and the aircraft did not violate Turkish air space, prompting the Turkish army to release audio recordings it said showed the Russian jet was repeatedly warned to change course.

Moscow has intensified its strikes in Syria after ISIS claimed it brought down a Russian passenger plane over Egypt last month, killing all 224 people on board.

Russia carried out heavy raids in Syria's northern Latakia province on Wednesday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said, in the same area where Turkey downed the Russian fighter.

Ankara and Moscow are on opposing sides in the four-year Syrian conflict, with Turkey wanting to see the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad while Russia is one of his last remaining allies.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has backed the French president's proposal to close off the Syria-Turkey border, considered the main crossing point for foreign fighters seeking to join ISIS.

"I think this is a good proposal and tomorrow President Hollande will talk to us in greater detail about it. We would be ready to seriously consider the necessary measures for this," Lavrov said in Moscow.

French jets on Monday launched their first air strikes from the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier in the eastern Mediterranean.

Prime Minister Manuel Valls told the French parliament, which overwhelmingly supported pressing the air campaign against ISIS, that "there is no alternative, we must annihilate Daesh", speaking to the chamber on Wednesday.

As many as 128 dead in string of ‪#‎Paris‬ attacks, deadliest since World War II

Mourners leave candles outside of the Carillon bar in the 10th district of Paris on November 14, 2015, following a series of attacks in and around the city

A series of attacks targeting young concert-goers and Parisians enjoying a Friday night out at popular nightspots killed as many as 128 people in the deadliest violence to strike France since World War II. President Francois Hollande pledged that France would stand firm against what he called terrorism.

The worst carnage was at a concert hall hosting an American rock band, where scores of people were held hostage and attackers hurled explosives at their captives. Police who stormed the building, killing three attackers, encountered a bloody scene of horror inside.

Paris Prosecutor Francois Molins said as many as five attackers may have been killed, though it was not clear how many there were altogether and how many were still at large. Authorities said the death toll at the six sites could exceed 128.

Hollande declared a state of emergency and announced that he was closing the country's borders. The violence spread fear through the city and exceeded the horrors of the Charlie Hebdo attack just 10 months ago.

In addition to the deaths at the concert hall, a police official said 11 people were killed in a Paris restaurant in the 10th arrondissement and other officials said at least three people died when bombs went off outside a stadium.

All of the officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to be publicly named in the quickly moving investigation.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks, and no clear picture of how many attackers were involved and if any were on the run. Jihadists on Twitter immediately praised the attack and criticized France's military operations against Islamic State extremists.

Hollande, who had to be evacuated from the stadium when the bombs went off outside, said in a televised address that the nation would stand firm and united.

"This is a terrible ordeal that again assails us," he said. "We know where it comes from, who these criminals are, who these terrorists are."

State of emergency declared in Paris

U.S. President Barack Obama, speaking to reporters in Washington, called the attacks on Paris "outrageous attempt to terrorize innocent civilians" and vowed to do whatever it takes to help bring the perpetrators to justice. He called the attacks a "heartbreaking situation" and an "attack on all of humanity."

Earlier Friday, two explosions were heard outside the Stade de France stadium north of Paris during a France-Germany exhibition soccer game. A police union official said there were two suicide attacks and a bombing that killed at least three people.

The official, Gregory Goupil of the Alliance Police Nationale, whose region includes the area of the stadium, said explosions went off simultaneously near two entrances and a McDonalds.

An Associated Press reporter in the stadium Friday night heard two explosions loud enough to penetrate the sounds of cheering fans. Sirens were immediately heard, and a helicopter was circling overhead.

The attack comes as France has heightened security measures ahead of a major global climate conference that starts in two weeks, out of fear of violent protests and potential terrorist attacks.

Hollande canceled a planned trip to this weekend's G-20 summit in Turkey, which was to focus in large part on growing fears of terrorism carried out by Islamic extremists.

Emilio Macchio, from Ravenna, Italy, was at the Carillon restaurant that was targeted, having a beer on the sidewalk, when the shooting started. He said he didn't see any gunmen or victims, but hid behind a corner, then ran away.

"It sounded like fireworks," he said.

France has been on edge since January, when Islamic extremists attacked the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, which had run cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, and a kosher grocery. Twenty people died, including the three attackers.

The Charlie Hebdo attackers claimed links to extremists in Yemen, while the kosher market attacker claimed ties to the Islamic State group.

This time, they targeted young people enjoying a rock concert and ordinary city residents enjoying a Friday night out.

One of at least two restaurants targeted Friday, Le Carillon, is in the same general neighborhood as the Charlie Hebdo offices, as is the Bataclan, among the best-known venues in eastern Paris, near the trendy Oberkampf area known for a vibrant nightlife. The California-based band Eagles of Death Metal was scheduled to play there Friday night.

The country has seen several smaller-scale attacks or attempts since, including an incident on a high-speed train in August in which American travelers thwarted an attempted attack by a heavily armed man.

France's military is bombing Islamic State targets in Syria and Iraq and fighting extremists in Africa, and extremist groups have frequently threatened France in the past.

French authorities are particularly concerned about the threat from hundreds of French Islamic radicals who have travelled to Syria and returned home with skills to stage violence.

Though who was responsible for Friday night's violence remained a mystery, the Islamic State is "clearly the name at the top of everyone's list," Brian Michael Jenkins, a terrorism expert and senior adviser to the president of RAND Corp., said.

Jenkins said the tactic used — "multiple attackers in coordinated attacks at multiple locations" — echoed recommendations published in extremist group's online magazine, Dabbiq, over the summer.

"The big question on everyone's mind is, were these attackers, if they turn out to be connected to one of the groups in Syria, were they homegrown terrorists or were they returning fighters from having served" with the Islamic State group, Jenkins said. "That will be a huge question."

‪#‎Merkel‬ says military efforts needed in ‪#‎Syria‬ but they won't end war

German Chancellor Angela Merkel

German Chancellor Angela Merkel told a German radio station that military efforts were necessary in Syria even though they would not put an end to the war there.

"Regarding Syria, I said for the first time: We will need military efforts, but military efforts will not bring the solution; we need a political process but that has not really got going very well yet," she told Deutschlandfunk, according to the text of an interview due to be broadcast later on Sunday.

She also said it would be necessary to involve the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in talks.

"To get to a political solution, I need both the representatives of the Syrian opposition and those who are currently ruling in Damascus and others as well to get real successes and then above all the allies of the respective groups."

She said Russia, the United States, Saudi Arabia and Iran could play an important role as well as Germany, France and Britain.

#‎France‬ train gunman identified as known Islamist militant

France's Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve.

A gunman overpowered by passengers on a train in France on Friday was known to European authorities as a suspected Islamist militant, provided the identity he has given interrogators is correct, France's interior minister said.

Two people were wounded in the struggle to subdue the Kalashnikov-toting attacker aboard the high-speed train from Amsterdam to Paris. Two U.S. servicemen, one of whom suffered knife wounds, were among passengers who stopped the gunman.

"It is important to be careful about his identity which is not yet established with certainty," Cazeneuve said.

"If the identity he has declared is confirmed, he is a 26-year-old man of Moroccan nationality identified by the Spanish authorities to French intelligence services in February 2014 because of his connections to the radical Islamist movement."

He said inquiries in collaboration with other European authorities "should establish precisely the activities and travels of this terrorist".

Spain's interior ministry could not immediately be reached for comment.

A source with knowledge of the case, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the gunman had originally given a different identity which was unknown to the security services.

Cazeneuve said the attacker had a Kalashnikov assault rifle, an automatic pistol with accompanying ammunition clips and a box cutter knife. He said the struggle started when a Frenchman on his way to the toilet tried to stop the man entering a carriage.

The minister said the second person hurt was of Franco-American nationality, hit by a bullet while seated. Authorities said last night a French actor had also been hurt.

Courage

French authorities have been on high security alert since January, when 17 people were killed in shootings by Islamist militants in and around Paris.

The man the attacker claims to be lived in Spain during 2014 and in Belgium in 2015, Cazeneuve said.

According to Le Voix du Nord, citing security sources, the suspected Islamist militant was seen on a plane to Turkey from Germany in May, and was thought to have visited Syria.

The French newspaper said he may have had connections to a group involved in a suspected Islamist shooting in Belgium in January.

President Barack Obama expressed his gratitude on Friday for the "courage and quick thinking" of the passengers, echoing similar words from Cazeneuve at a separate news conference late on Friday.

"It is clear that their heroic actions may have prevented a far worse tragedy," Obama said in a statement.

The wounded U.S. serviceman, named only as Spencer, was expected to be treated at a specialist hospital for people with hand injuries in the northern French city of Lille.

President Francois Hollande's office said he would receive the passengers who subdued the gunman to thank them in the coming days.

The gunman has been transferred to the Paris region from Arras in northern France where the incident took place.

Cazeneuve said under the terms of his arrest the man can be held for four days without being charged.

The shooting took place on a Thalys high-speed train. Thalys is partly owned by French state transport group SNCF and by Belgian railways. It runs international trains joining France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany.

All four countries are part of the Schengen area through which people travel without the need for passports and security check-ins. Experts have long said the trains are a potential target for attacks.