A man armed with a knife attacked children and adults at a playground in Annecy, a town in the French Alps, on Thursday morning. Dressed in a dark suit, wearing sunglasses and wearing a keffiyeh, he stabbed 4 children and two men, including a 78-year-old man. The children, aged between 22 months and 3 years, are hospitalized in a serious condition: three of them, two cousins aged 2 and 3 years and the little one under 2 years old, of Dutch nationality, are at risk of death. . Also seriously injured is a 3-year-old English girl and one of the two men who were also injured by shots fired by the police to stop the attacker. All were hospitalized in France or neighboring Switzerland and underwent emergency surgery.
The suicide bomber was stopped by police and taken into custody for questioning. Some videos, released on social media, show him walking along the slides and flowerbeds in the peaceful park overlooking the lake. “In the name of Jesus Christ,” he shouts, displaying a small medal he wears around his neck, perhaps a crucifix, before being stopped. Police later identified him as Abdalmasih H., a 31-year-old Syrian, who arrived in France in October, where he applied for asylum a month later. First, his life was in Sweden, where he received refugee status in April. He lived in Trollhättan with his now ex-wife and their 3 year old daughter.
“We broke up eight months ago and I haven’t heard from him for four months,” the woman, a Swedish citizen, told French broadcaster Bfmtv. From her stories, a “kind” man emerges, whom she met 5 years ago in Turkey. In his asylum application, Abdalmasih H. stated that he was a Christian and that he came from the Syrian town of Hassake. It wasn’t the first time he had wandered through Annecy Park. Witnesses said they had also seen him in recent days, sitting on benches as he looked out over the lake. An investigation into the matter was opened for attempted murder after prosecutor Line Bonnet-Mathis ruled out a terrorist motive. Abdalmasih H. “was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol,” the prosecutor said, “but his state of health is extremely fragile.”
Source: IL Tempo
John Cameron is a journalist at The Nation View specializing in world news and current events, particularly in international politics and diplomacy. With expertise in international relations, he covers a range of topics including conflicts, politics and economic trends.
