French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin announced today, Thursday, that "several children were injured in a knife attack in France." Darmanin wrote on his official Twitter account: "Several children were injured in the town of Annecy located in the French Alps due to a knife attack," noting that "the attacker has been arrested."
Several people, including children, were injured by an individual armed with a knife in a park in Annecy. The individual was apprehended thanks to the very quick intervention of law enforcement.— Gérald DARMANIN (@GDarmanin) June 8, 2023
He later clarified that "France had rejected the asylum request from the Annecy attacker earlier this month." The police told Reuters that "eight children and one adult were injured in the attack, and the injured children are about three years old." They added, "two children and one adult are in critical condition, while two children suffered minor injuries."
Authorities are calling on the population to avoid the area of the Garden of Europe and the Pâquier. A new rescue helicopter has just arrived on the scene. pic.twitter.com/Z055lezchd— Infos Françaises (@InfosFrancaises) June 8, 2023
French television channel BFM reported that "the attack took place in a park, and the attacker is a Syrian asylum seeker." In a statement to Reuters, a French police official pointed out that "the man who attacked a group of children in the park is a Syrian citizen who had legal refugee status in the country."
"He was clearly targeting babies": a witness to the knife attack in Annecy recounts pic.twitter.com/RNJoyHMPkQ— BFMTV (@BFMTV) June 8, 2023
**Who is the Suspect?**
French authorities say that the suspect is a Syrian citizen holding Syrian and Swedish identification papers, including a Swedish driving license. French Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne stated that the 31-year-old attacker had been a refugee in Sweden for ten years and entered France legally.
A video captured by a witness and verified by Reuters shows a bearded man wearing sunglasses and a blue patterned head covering running in the park holding a knife. Another video shows the man jumping over a wall in the playground, lunging at a small child in a stroller while a woman is trying to stop him.
The police shot at the suspect before subduing him. The local prosecutor stated that he is under investigation for attempted murder. For his part, French President Emmanuel Macron described the attack as a "cowardly act," noting that "France is in shock after the stabbing attack on children."
"This morning's attack in a park in Annecy is an act of absolute cowardice. Children and an adult are between life and death. The nation is in shock. Our thoughts are with them as well as their families and the rescue services mobilized."— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) June 8, 2023
