2023-06-08 18:20:48
image source, Getty Images
The attack occurred in a park near Lake Annecy, in southern France.
At least four children were stabbed this Thursday by a man in a park located near Lake Annecy, in the south of France.
The French government said the 31-year-old attacker was captured by police after being subdued.
The children are in hospital and local authorities have told the BBC that their condition is stable.
French authorities reported that there are a total of six people injured, two adults and four children. one of them has 3 years and another just 22 months.
The Prime Minister of France, Élisabeth Borne, had said that several of the children were in “serious condition”, in intensive care, but over the hours they became stable.
The mayor of Annecy, François Astorg, assured that for the moment, “the condition of the children remains stable”, after leaving the operating room.
Of the six victims, one is British and the other Dutch.
children sThey were in the park near the lake when a 31-year-old man walked up and started stabbing them.
After fleeing the place, the man met an old man who was walking nearby and also stabbed him.
image source, Getty Images
The attacker was identified as a Syrian citizen seeking asylum in France.
As he was escaping, the police were able to intercept him and place him under arrest.
Video footage of the attack posted on social media and too graphic to reproduce shows a park like any other with children playing while their parents look on.
Then the man is seen with a knife and immediately after, screaming. It is clearly seen that he is looking for the children to attack them.
What is known about the suspect?
Borne reported that the suspect is a Syrian citizen who had refugee status in Sweden.
Although he had applied for asylum in France, the request was annulled due to the process that had been open in Sweden for 10 years.
Borne added that the suspect no has Criminal or psychiatric history.
image source, Getty Images
The attack occurred in the morning when several children were playing in the park.
The French Prosecutor’s Office pointed out that in Sweden he left his wife and a 3-year-old daughter. During the incident, he was heard invoking the name of Jesus Christ. In his asylum application in France last year he identified himself as a Syrian Christian.
A woman who identified herself as his ex-wife said her ex-partner is a Christian.
“He hasn’t called me for four months. Our relationship ended because we live in Sweden and he didn’t want to continue living in Sweden,” he told BFM TV.
And he added that he had never shown violent behavior before.
The authorities said that there are no indications that it was a terrorist attack and the police launched an investigation into what happened.
The governor of the region where the assault occurred described the attack as “abominable.”
For his part, French President Emmanuel Macron called the attack “an act of cowardice.”
“The country is in a state of shock,” Macron said.
“Our thoughts are with the injured, as well as their families and the emergency services.”
Local media said that two of the injured minors are in critical condition, in addition to the adult who was injured.
The French National Assembly declared a minute of silence for the victims.
Annecy is located about 560 kilometers south of Paris, near the border with Switzerland. It is a place recognized for its landscapes and large green areas.
image source, Getty Images
The French National Assembly observed a minute of silence for the victims.
“It was horrible”
Several people witnessed the attack in southern France.
One of them was the former Liverpool footballer Anthony Le Tallec.
Le Tallec said on his Instagram account that he was running around the lake when he began to see people running towards him and telling him to run away as they had seen the man with a knife attacking the children.
The former soccer player said the suspect appeared in front of him, chased by police officers.
“He approached me, so I walked away. Then he walked towards an old couple and attacked one of them.”
Le Tallec added: “I told the police: ‘Shoot! Kill him!'”
“He attacked once, twice and then they started shooting at him,” he concluded.
Le Tallec noted that he continued his run along the lake and saw the children who were injured in the attack. “It’s crazy to have this in Annecy,” she commented.
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