Eva Deschamps / June 8, 2023
A knife attack in Annecy took place this Thursday morning in a park near the lake. The toll was high. Emmanuel Macron denounces an "absolutely cowardly attack ».
Early this afternoon, the Syrian identity of the assailant was confirmed, according to a source close to the case. The man, born in 1991, was unknown to police records, a police source said, adding that he had lived in Sweden for ten years and had refugee status.
At around 9:45 am on Thursday in a park near Lake Annecy, he attacked children aged around 3 with a knife, injuring six people, including four children. According to a source close to the case, two of the children and the adult are life-threatening.
As of midday, the case had not been referred to the national anti-terrorist prosecutor's office, as an assessment of the attack was underway to determine whether or not it was terrorist in nature, according to another source close to the case.
A man with a bladed weapon terrorized a park on the shores of Lake Annecy on Thursday morning, injuring five people including four very young children, before being arrested by the police.
The terrorist or non-terrorist nature of the attack is currently being assessed, according to a source close to the case.
Four of the victims, two children and one adult, are life-threatening, added a source close to the case.
The man, armed with a knife, attacked children aged around three who were on a playground in the large park bordering Lake Annecy.
It happened at 9:45 this morning, with a knife" near the Jardin de l'Europe, a popular park on the shores of Lake Annecy, reported the prefecture, which had previously announced a provisional toll of eight injured.
According to the daily Dauphiné Libéré, the victims were transferred to the Annecy Genevois hospital and witnesses were taken to a building close to the scene of the tragedy, which was cordoned off by a large police force.
According to witnesses interviewed on BFM TV, after the attack, the man tried to flee the playground and attacked an elderly person, before being quickly arrested by the police.
Immediately, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin posted a tweet: "Several people, including children, were injured by an individual armed with a knife in a square in Annecy. The individual was apprehended thanks to the rapid intervention of the police ».
In Paris, MPs and members of the government observed a minute's silence at the National Assembly.
The President of the Assembly, Yaël Braun-Pivet, called for a minute's silence "for them, for their families", after this "most serious attack ».
Elisabeth Borne and Gérald Darmanin are expected on site on Thursday, their entourages also told AFP.
"Appalling attack this morning on the Pâquier in Annecy. My thoughts are with the victims and their families" tweeted Mayor François Astorg, asking the public "to avoid the Pâquier area for the smooth running of operations ».