Three American men, including two servicemen, are being hailed as heroes for tackling a suspected terrorist aboard a Paris-bound train and thwarting a possible massacre.

On Friday at 5:45 p.m. local time near Arras, France, a man began firing gunshots aboard a high-speed train traveling from Amsterdam to Paris.

That's when Airman First Class Spencer Stone, Oregon National Guard Specialist Alek Skarlatos and Sacramento State University student Anthony Sadler, who were all traveling together, immediately took action, according to NBC News.

Witnesses say that Stone quickly rushed the suspect and pushed him against the restroom. Meanwhile, Skarlatos managed to snatch away two of the shooter's firearms. The suspect, however, took out a box-cutter and slashed Stone several times. That's when Skarlatos and Sadler, along with a British man named Chris Norman, held him down until authorities could arrest him.

"I saw a guy entering the train with an AK-47 and a handgun, and I just looked over to Spencer and said, 'Let's go, go!'" Skarlatos recalled. "I grabbed the handgun. Got the handgun away from the guy and threw it, and then I grabbed the AK-47, which was at his feet."

According to Sadler, Stone was the first to make contact and tackle the gunman. "Alek wrestles the gun away from him, and the gunman pulls out a boxcutter and slices Spencer a few times. And the three of us beat him until he was unconscious," he said.

The suspect was identified as Ayoub El Khazzani, a 26-year-old Moroccan national who had already been flagged by Spanish authorities and linked to radical Islamist networks, according to CNN.

Stone and one other person were seriously hurt with non-life-threatening injuries during the attack, while a third received minor injuries. However, Stone is expected to make a full recovery.

Following the incident, President Obama called the Americans on Saturday to commend them for their bravery.

"The President expressed his gratitude to these three individuals for their heroic actions forestalling an even greater tragedy. The President wished Airman Stone a full and speedy recovery, and expressed how proud all Americans are of their extraordinary bravery," Deputy Press Secretary Eric Schultz said.