Several children and at least one adult were injured Thursday in a knife attack in a lakeside park Annecy in southeast France, according to Reuters.
Four children and an adult have been injured in a knife attack in a park in Annecy, a town in the French Alps, police said, adding that three of the children were in a life-threatening condition https://t.co/IRLKWhZipd
— Reuters (@Reuters) June 8, 2023
Child was stabbed while sitting in stroller
Update 12:40 p.m. EDT June 8: The four children stabbed in an attack in a park in France remain in critical condition, according to French authorities.
The BBC reported that UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said that one of the injured children was a British national. One of the other children is reportedly Dutch, the story said.
Police have confirmed that the suspect is a 31-year-old Syrian who had refugee status in Sweden.
According to witnesses, the man appeared to be looking for children to attack and stabbed one of the victims as the child sat in a stroller.
Police say four children, two adults attacked
Update 7:30 a.m. EDT June 8: Police say that four children and two adults were stabbed in an attack in a lakeside park in southern France.
The suspect, a Syrian national, ran from the scene but police intervened and the suspect was shot in the legs, the BBC reported.
At least two of the children as said to be in critical condition. No word on the condition of the adults.
Original story:
The BBC is reporting that three children and one adult are in critical condition at a local hospital with life-threatening injuries.
Various French media are reporting that the suspect, a man, has identified himself to police as a Syrian asylum seeker. While a man was arrested after the incident, police say they do not know the motive for the attack.
There are conflicting reports on the number injured. Some early news reports said up to eight children and two adults were attacked.
The group of children was on a supervised trip to Lake Annecy in the French Alps when the attack happened at 9.45 a.m. local time (3:45 a.m. ET), the French National Police told NBC News. According to authorities, the children in the group visiting the lake were as young as 3.
Health Minister François Braun tweeted that his thoughts were with the victims of the knife attack. “All my thoughts go immediately to the people injured by an individual armed with a knife in Annecy, and to their loved ones,” Braun tweeted.
“I salute the rapid mobilization of the emergency services to take care of the victims, and notably the Urgent Medical Aid Service (SAMU).”
This is a developing story. Check back here for updates.
