An attacker injured six children and an adult with a knife in a park in the eastern French city of Annecy. As the police announced on Thursday morning, the alleged perpetrator has been arrested.
🚨#UPDATE: Syrian man arrested after mass stabbing at local playground in the southeast #French town of Annecy in the Alps pic.twitter.com/dvjE2jTn92
– Breaking News 24/7 (@Worldsource24) June 8, 2023
According to the newspaper “Le Parisien”, the attacker seriously injured three people. One of them is in danger. The broadcaster BFMTV reported that the children attacked were very young. The exact circumstances of the crime were initially unclear.
The attack
The attack took place in a park near a lake. According to BFMTV, several school classes were present. The place is very popular with mothers and childcare as a day trip destination, it is reported.
A witness describes in the French media that the injured children were scattered throughout the park. “He was obviously attacking babies,” he tells BFMTV. Then he looked for a new target: “He ran straight to a grandfather who was with his wife and stabbed him”.
The police arrived a few minutes after the first emergency call and arrested the alleged perpetrator. Shortly before he was apprehended by the police, the attacker was caught by passers-by with a knife in his hand. Students filmed the scene.
L’horreur a #Annecy pic.twitter.com/5PKCwI7bDf
— Bruno Attal (@Bruno_Attal_) June 8, 2023
The arrested
Apparently the man had been in this park for a long time. A park visitor told BFMTV that the man had been there for two or three days: “I saw that he was not clean, he was shaking and he had a big bag with him.”
The suspect is called Abdalmasih H., was born in 1991 and does not appear in the police files. According to Le Parisien, he has Syrian nationality and entered France in November 2022 and would have applied for asylum there. He has lived in Sweden for 10 years and enjoys refugee status in this country by decision of 26 April 2023.
The attacker made no political demands. French authorities are not investigating a terrorist attack. The case is with the detective, who is leading the investigation.
The reactions
“The nation is in shock,” wrote President Emmanuel Macron. He expressed his condolences to the affected families. French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin praised the very swift intervention of law enforcement authorities.
The French National Assembly observes a minute’s silence.
Attaque d’une lâcheté absolute ce matin dans un parc à Annecy. Des enfants et un adulte sont between la vie et la mort. The nation is sous le choc. Nos pensées les ainsi que leurs familles et les secours mobilisés.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) June 8, 2023
(aeg/zag/sda/dpa)
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
