09/06/2023 10:41 am (act. 09/06/2023 10:41 am)
The Annecy crime scene ©APA/KEYSTONE
The country is looking for answers after the knife attack on four young children and two adults at a playground in eastern France. The arrested perpetrator will be psychologically examined and interrogated this Friday morning. French President Emmanuel Macron wants to meet the victims and their families with his wife Brigitte later today. Government spokesman Olivier Véran told France Info that two of the children were still in danger of dying.
The assailant attacked four children aged between 22 months and three years with a knife in the eastern French town of Annecy on Thursday morning. Children from France, Holland and Great Britain came to clinics in Geneva and Grenoble. The man also injured two adults before security forces overpowered and arrested him.
Justice investigates the man for attempted murder. His motives are still unknown. “We’re trying to understand his motive,” said prosecutor Line Bonnet-Mathis. Investigators have not seen a terrorist motive for now. The man was probably not under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
According to Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, the man was unknown to European security authorities and there was nothing on him. There is also no evidence of psychiatric treatment in the past. A police spokeswoman told BFMTV that the man was “particularly uneasy” in custody on Thursday. After the psychological report on Friday you will probably know a little more.
According to authorities, the perpetrator is Syrian. He lived in Sweden for years and only came to France a few months ago, where he was without permanent residence. French media reported that the assailant was married to a woman in Sweden and had a three-year-old daughter. He and his wife recently separated.
Although the man had previously been granted asylum in Sweden, he also applied for it in France. French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said the man was informed last Sunday that his application for asylum in France had been rejected because he had already been granted asylum in Sweden.
The attack deeply hit France. Interior Minister Darmanin spoke on TF1 of the “worst day for the French” since taking office nearly three years ago. Government spokesman Véran said: “We are all looking for answers.” He added: “There is nothing that can justify or explain why children become a man’s target.” Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire told broadcaster BFMTV: “There is nothing more inhumane, nothing more senseless, nothing more hurtful than attacking children.” The photos showed how people near the crime scene laid out flowers and stuffed animals and paid homage to the victims.
Meanwhile, civil rights advocates and right-wing nationalists have tried to shift the discussion of crime to the issue of immigration, which is already controversial in the country. Extremist right-wing rallies in Annecy were banned by the mayor’s office on Thursday night.