by Stefano Montefiori
A 32-year-old Syrian asylum seeker, said to be married to a Swede with whom he has three children, has been arrested by police. According to an initial assessment, four children and one adult are injured, three of them in mortal danger
FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT
PARIS — On Thursday morning, a man stabbed a group of children under the age of three playing in the Pquier park by Lake Annecy in the heart of the city of Haute-Savoie. According to an initial assessment, four children and one adult are injured, three of them in mortal danger. The man, who witnesses said was wearing a turban, rushed into action at around 9.45am and was shortly after put out of action by police, who wounded him with a pistol. Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne is on her way to Annecy. A minute’s silence has just been observed in the National Assembly, interrupting work on pension reform.
The attacker allegedly presented himself as a Christian from Syria, unknown to the police services, and had applied for asylum in France, where he had been staying for a year, after being granted refugee status in Sweden. According to sources close to the investigation, Abdalmasih H, the name of the 32-year-old, is said to be married to a Swede and the father of three children.
A witness, Anthony, told news channel Bfm: I went for a jog, at first I thought it was a game, everyone was running. When I saw the prams being pushed at a run, I knew something was wrong. A woman told me not to continue because a man stabbed everyone. I continued and found myself in front of the attacker. The cops were in front but I found them slow, they didn’t react immediately, the man had time I stabbed an elderly gentleman twice while they stood by and did nothing. I was surprised they didn’t shoot right away, the Lord’s wife was next to him, luckily she wasn’t attacked but was in shock and I started screaming “shoot, shoot!” and finally they did, but the man still had time to stab a second time. I was about to intervene because the police couldn’t do anything, I was very surprised at their slowness. The man who was silent during the attack never said anything, he must have been 45 years old. At some point he took off his headscarf or turban in front of my eyes, I don’t understand why. Annecy is a quiet city, I jog in this park every morning, I never thought that something like this could happen.
Interior Minister Grald Darmanin tweeted that many people, including children, had been injured by a person armed with a knife in a park in Annecy. Thanks to the very quick intervention of the police, the person was arrested. But Anthony’s statement, which on the contrary speaks of the incomprehensible slowness of the police officers, is controversial.
Plusieurs persons not blessed by children are blessed by a single arm with a blanket in a square in Annecy. L?individu at interpell grce l?intervention trs rapide des forces de l?ordre.
— Grald DARMANIN (@GDarmanin) June 8, 2023
Jun 8, 2023 (Modified Jun 8, 2023 | 2:18pm)
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