France knife attack leaves 4 children in critical condition; injures 2 others

Four children and two adults were injured after they were stabbed with a knife by a man in the French town of Annecy on Thursday.

The police acted swiftly and overpowered the accused. Police and military have also been dispatched to secure the premises and take the children to safety. Doctors said that the condition of the kids is critical.

A man armed with a knife attacked a group of children aged around three years old at 9:45 am (0745 GMT) on Thursday at a park near the lake in the town, a security source who asked not to be named and a local official told AFP.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

France’s Minister of the Interior and Overseas Gérald Darmanin confirmed in a tweet that the accused was caught.

Plusieurs personnes dont des enfants ont été blessés par un individu armé d’un couteau dans un square à Annecy. L’individu a été interpellé grâce à l’intervention très rapide des forces de l’ordre. — Gérald DARMANIN (@GDarmanin) June 8, 2023

“Several people including children were injured by an individual armed with a knife in a square in Annecy. The individual was arrested, thanks to the very rapid intervention of the police,” he tweeted in French.

The officials are yet to confirm the identity of the attacker, butBFM TV reported that the assailant had been a Syrian asylum seeker.

President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday denounced an "attack of absolute cowardice" after a man stabbed four preschool children and an adult in the French Alpine town of Annecy.

"Attack of absolute cowardice this morning in a park in Annecy. Children and an adult are fighting for their lives. The nation is shocked. Our thoughts are with them as well as their families and the emergency services," he wrote on Twitter.

WATCH WION LIVE HERE