Two of the 4 seriously injured children are making good progress, although the other two and one adult remain in critical condition. Police have ruled out the terrorist motive of this attack and are investigating the reasons that may have led the 31-year-old Syrian refugee to stab minors and companions.
France is still in shock, one day after the attack on a playground in Annecy (south-east France), which left four young children and an adult seriously injured and another adult less seriously injured in a stabbing attack. The alleged attacker is a 31-year-old Syrian refugee who was arrested after the stabbings.
The children are between 22 months and three years old and include a Briton and a Dutchman, as well as two brothers. Health sources have revealed that two out of four children very seriously injured are evolving favourablythough the other two and an adult are still “in a vital condition”.
The authorities, who have ruled out the terrorist motive, are trying to clarify why he indiscriminately stabbed several minors and their companions. According to the information known so far, the person arrested is Abdalmasih H., who identified himself as Christian prosecuted when he applied for asylum on 28 November 2022 at the French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons (Ofpra).
Abdalmasih had already obtained the status of refugee in sweden, where he has lived since 2013 after emigrating from his country of origin until he arrived in France. Thanks to his refugee status in Sweden, he was able to move freely around the Schengen area.
The alleged attacker was married to a Swedish woman and has a three-year-old daughter. He divorced in 2022, and then he moved to France where applied for asylum. The answer, negativereached him last Sunday, that is, just three days after his attack, as the Interior Minister, Gérald Darmanin, noted on Wednesday evening.
It is also known that he was not under the influence of alcohol or other drugs and such at the time of the attack He had no history or record of previous psychiatric episodes. In any case, he will undergo a psychiatric examination this morning.
Macron visits Annecy today
The attack took place at around 9:45 a.m. in the Gardens of Europe park in Annecy. According to witnesses, the attacker went through the park stabbing and beating the minors who were there and their companions.
French President Emmanuel Macron will travel to Annecy this Friday, accompanied by his wife Brigitte. “It is not an attempt to cause controversy,” emphasized today the government spokesman, Olivier Véran, pointing out in an interview on the radio station France Info that Macron is going to Annecy to see the victims or their families, as well as the officers and emergency services who intervened.
Source: EITB
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
