Four children, one adult seriously wounded in knife attack in France
Witnesses said they saw the attacker running in a frenzy and attacking people at random before he was stopped by police.
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A screenshot from a video of the attack shows the assailant being chased by another man in Annecy. (AFP)
French media sources on Thursday reported that four children and one adult have been wounded in a knife attack in the town of Annecy, France.
While the victims are receiving treatment in hospital, three of them are reported to be in serious condition, sources say. One of the children is also reported to be a British national, UK Foreign Minister James Cleverly said.
The suspect was identified as a man of Syrian origin in his early 30s, and was granted refugee status in Sweden in April, police sources told AFP.
At 9:45 am, he appeared with a knife at a children's playground near the town's Annecy Lake. The children were as young as three years of age, and one of them was in a wheelchair, a source told AFP.
Witnesses said they saw the attacker running in a frenzy and attacking people at random before he was stopped by police.
Terror attack in Annecy, France.
— Chris Vaultan (@Dave87974076) June 8, 2023
It shows the Syrian asylum seeker was only targeting children.
A mom tried to escape with her child from the playground but the attacker caught up with her
3 of the stabbed kids are in critical condition pic.twitter.com/hcEiyEtkE5
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Cleverly called the attacks a "terrible act of violence" and said the British government is ready to assist French authorities in every possible means.
"We have already deployed British consular officials who are traveling to the area to make themselves available to support the family. And of course we stand in strong solidarity with the people of France at this terrible time."
The French national police was tasked with heading the investigation instead of the anti-terrorist unit. Checks on the suspect are ongoing but he was unknown to French security services, the police source told AFP.
In reaction to the attack, Macron tweeted that the act was of absolute cowardice and that the nation is in shock.
Attaque d’une lâcheté absolue ce matin dans un parc à Annecy. Des enfants et un adulte sont entre la vie et la mort. La Nation est sous le choc. Nos pensées les accompagnent ainsi que leurs familles et les secours mobilisés.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) June 8, 2023
