France stabbing – latest: Annecy locals attend mass as Mayor says injured children are ‘stable’
Locals have attended a mass for the victims of an “unfathomable” knife attack at a lakeside playpark in southeastern France.
Father Didier Milani and Bishop Yves Le Saux were pictured hosting the service in Annecy on Friday, one day after the incident in which four young children and two pensioners were injured, to a church packed full of people praying for the victims.
On Friday afternoon the Mayor of Annecy said he was “confident” about the condition of the children involved in the attack.
Francois Astorg told reporters close to the scene: “The children are stable right now, the adults are much better.”
A suspect has been arrested and identified as a 31-year-old Syrian refugee, who authorities say had been refused asylum in France days earlier, as he had been granted refugee status in Sweden earlier this year.
Well-wishers continued to visit the park on Friday morning to lay flowers and other tributes for those injured in the attack. The children are between 22 months and three years old.
Key Points
Emmanuel Macron meets family of British girl, aged 3, stabbed in Annecy attack
French president shakes hand of young pilgrim hailed across France as ‘backpack hero’
31-year-old suspect had ‘no apparent terrorist motive’, says Annecy prosecutor
French National Assembly holds minute's silence for stabbing victims
Ex-Liverpool footballer witnessed attack, says he saw ‘injured children on the ground’
Schools put on ‘lockdown’ after attack, deputy mayor confirms
Locals host mass in Annecy for victims
18:45 , Eleanor Noyce
Locals have taken part in a mass in Annecy for the victims of a man who stabbed four preschool children and injured two adults on Thursday.
French president Emmanuel Macron said on Friday that the health of the children badly wounded was “heading in the right direction.”
British girl ‘awake and watching TV’ after France stabbing – as Macron hails ‘backpack hero’ for facing attacker
21:30 , Eleanor Noyce
A British three-year-old girl who was stabbed in a horrific playground attack in France was awake and watching television on Friday Emmanuel Macron said – as he also praised the heroism of a young Catholic pilgrim who fended off the knifeman with a backpack.
The French president said he had heard “positive” news about the four children – aged between 22 months and three years old – injured in the attack in a lakeside park in Annecy. Two men in their 70s were also injured.
Mr Macron and his wife Brigitte, visited three of the children and their families in hospital in Grenoble about 90 minutes from Annecy. The British girl who received surgery, named as Ettie, had “woken up” and was “watching TV,” said President Macron. “[the attack] is just a bad memory already”. According to AFP, he added: “Doctors are optimistic” suggesting that “everything is going the right way”.
Andy Gregory and Chris Stevenson report:
British girl, 3, ‘awake and watching TV’ after France stabbing
ICYMI: British girl injured in Annecy stabbing was on holiday at time of attack
20:20 , Eleanor Noyce
A British girl who was one of four children stabbed in a knife attack in the French Alps was on holiday in the area.
The knifeman attacked the group of children – aged between 22 months and three years – and two adults at a lakeside park in Annecy on Thursday.
French interior minister Gerald Darmanin said the suspect, a 31-year-old Syrian man, had tried to claim asylum in France but it was refused on Sunday because he had previously been granted asylum in Sweden 10 years ago.
The British girl is three years old and was taken to hospital in Grenoble, a city around an hour-and-a-half from Annecy by car.
Ted Hennessey has the full story:
British girl injured in Annecy stabbing was on holiday at time of attack
‘You are an angel’: France hails ‘backpack hero’ who confronted knifeman in ‘unspeakable’ Annecy attack
20:00 , Eleanor Noyce
A young pilgrim who attempted to stop the knifeman who launched an “unspeakable” attack on children at a playpark in France is being hailed across the country as “the backpack hero”.
Two adults and four children – between 22 months and three years old – were badly injured in Thursday’s attack at a lakeside park in the alpine city of Annecy, which has drawn international shock and condemnation.
As two of the children remained in a critical condition and a man – reportedly stabbed six times and struck by a police bullet – contended with life-threatening injuries on Friday morning, president Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte travelled to hospital in Grenoble to meet them and their families.
Andy Gregory reports:
France hails ‘backpack hero’ who confronted knifeman in ‘unspeakable’ Annecy attack
Everything we know about suspected France playground attacker after toddlers stabbed
19:40 , Eleanor Noyce
A picturesque French town has been left reeling after four children were stabbed in a playground horror attack.
Two adults were also injured in the attack in Annecy in the French Alps on Thursday morning. All of the youngsters - who were aged between 22 months and three - were transferred to hospitals in the French Alps and across the Swiss border in Geneva.
Oliver Pritchard-Jones reports:
Everything we know about suspected France playground attacker after toddlers stabbed
French Alps attack exposes Macron’s challenges on immigration - Reuters
19:20 , Eleanor Noyce
The knife attack on toddlers in a French Alpine town, suspected to have been carried out by a Syrian refugee, has thrown a spotlight on President Emmanuel Macron’s struggles to find support for a new immigration bill in a fragmented parliament.
France was still in shock a day after four children - aged between 22 and 36 months - and two pensioners were stabbed in the tranquil lakeside town of Annecy.
The suspect in police custody is a 31-year-old Syrian national who was granted refugee status in Sweden 10 years ago and thanks to European free movement rules was legally in France where he had filed another asylum request.
French authorities rejected that request last week.
The case has exposed the tensions between Europe’s free movement rights and the pressure governments in countries like France, Germany and Italy are feeling from voters to toughen immigration laws as societies shift rightwards politically.
Macron’s government this year drafted new legislation that would have accelerated the expulsions of illegal migrants and fast-tracked applications of migrants working in parts of the economy with labour shortages.
But it was forced back to the drawing board after failing to strike a deal with the centre-right lawmakers it depends on for a working majority in parliament.
“We are swamped by asylum requests,” Marine Le Pen, the leader of the far-right who pushed Macron hard in last year’s presidential run-off vote, told Europe 1 radio.
Le Pen alleged that the suspect’s asylum claim should have been fast-tracked since he already had refugee status in another EU country.
Asylum expert Philippe Fontana urged caution, citing unknowns around the suspect’s circumstances.
“But this puts the spotlight on the asylum application process in France,” he added.
Watch as tributes paid to victims of Annecy knife attack that left four children injured
19:00 , Eleanor Noyce
Watch as people lay flowers in tribute after four children and two adults were stabbed and injured in a knife attack in the French Alps.
The incident happened on Thursday 8 June at a lakeside park in Anney.
Police say they have arrested a suspect, a 31-year-old Syrian and according to reports, the alleged knifeman had been denied asylum in France just days before the attack.
A British child is among the victims injured in the attack, foreign secretary James Cleverly has confirmed.
“Our thoughts are with the victims and the families and we stand ready to support the French authorities in whichever way we can,” he said on Thursday.
Oliver Browning has more:
Watch as tributes paid to victims of Annecy knife attack
Man who chased Annecy attacker around park ‘reacted instinctively'
18:25 , Eleanor Noyce
A man who appeared to chase a knifeman around a park in the French Alps has been labelled a hero in France.
Known by just his first name, Henri was seen in videos shared on social media chasing the knifeman around a park in Annecy on Thursday as he attacked children and adults.
The knifeman attacked the group of children - aged between 22 months and three years - and two adults at a lakeside park.
Henri, 24, is travelling across the country visiting various cathedrals and was visiting the lakeside town at the time of the attack.
He told Cnews: “What I know is that I was not there by chance. On my Chemins des Cathedrales (cathedral tour) I crossed paths with this man.
“I reacted instinctively. I did not think. To me, it was unthinkable not to do anything.
“I reacted how every French person should.
“Which means, I followed my instinct and did everything I could to protect the weak.”
In videos shared on social media, Henri can be seen wearing a rucksack and carrying another which he waves at the attacker who tries to slash him with his knife.
Another video shows Henri, who is wearing dark grey trousers and a dark-coloured t-shirt, chasing the attacker across a patch of grass.
‘They are stable and we are confident’, says Mayor of Annecy on childrens’ condition
18:08 , Eleanor Noyce
The Mayor of Annecy has said he is “confident” about the condition of the children involved in the attack.
Francois Astorg told reporters close to the scene: “The children are stable right now, the adults are much better.
“President Macron this morning went to see the children in Grenoble and the adults later.
“The kids have been operated on, they are stable and we are confident, I don’t want to say more than that at the moment.”
Police officer praised by colleague and Macron for saving child stabbed in attack
17:36 , Andy Gregory
A police officer has been praised for saving one of the children who was stabbed at a playground in Annecy by maintaining pressure on a wound.
The officer was brought to the attention of French president Emanuel Macron during his visit to the Prefecture d’Annecy, where he met with those who had intervened to stop the 31-year-old Syrian suspect.
News footage showed the moment Mr Macron shook hands with members of the Police Municipale and one officer heaped praise on her colleague, saying he “certainly saved the child’s life because he maintained a pressure point on a child and kept them alive”.
The French president responded by telling the officer: “Thank you for intervening so quickly and with so much professionalism.”
Video report: Attacker ‘jumped’ on elderly person before being apprehended
17:20 , Andy Gregory
Dutch girl injured in attack is ‘out of danger’, minister says
17:05 , Andy Gregory
A Dutch girl among the four children who were attacked is “out of danger”, Holland’s foreign minster has said.
Wopke Hoekstra said was is “relieved to hear that the Dutch girl who fell victim to the stabbing in Annecy yesterday is out of danger”.
The Dutch ambassador in Bern has spoken to one of the girl’s parents, he said, adding: “We support them as best we can during this difficult time.”
Doctors say children were saved by ‘swiftness’ of response, Macron says
16:50 , Andy Gregory
Medics treating the children injured in yesterday’s knife attack believe they were saved by the speed of the response to the attack by civilians and first responders, according to Emmanuel Macron
“The first thing doctors told me ... is that these children were saved by the swiftness of the collective intervention,” Macron said, following a visit to Grenoble hospital.
“Thank you immeasurably for your courage,” the French president told a crowd of rescuers and emergency workers at the police station in Annecy.
Two worst-injured children are cousins, says Macron
16:34 , Andy Gregory
The two children most critically injured in the attack are cousins, French president Emmanuel Macron has said.
They are both stabilised and “doctors were very confident”, he said in Annecy, following a visit to the hospital in Grenoble where they were being treated, expressing hope that “normally things will continue to improve”.
The pensioner who was stabbed multiple times and hit by a police bullet as they sought to demobilise the attacker is regaining consciousness, Mr Macron said, having met and thanked a second injured pensioner who had been discharged from hospital with a wound to his elbow.
Children’s conditions ‘heading in right direction’, says Macron
16:17 , Andy Gregory
The condition of the children hospitalised in Grenoble is “heading in the right direction”, Emmanuel Macron has said.
Following his visit to meet the families there earlier today, the French president said in Annecy that he heard “positive” news about their condition, adding: “Everything that I was told is heading in the right direction.”
Portuguese citizen ‘wounded trying to stop the attacker'
16:02 , Andy Gregory
Portugal’s foreign ministry has said that a Portuguese citizen was one of the two adults wounded.
“In the course of the tragic event, a Portuguese citizen, while trying to stop the attacker from fleeing from the police, was seriously injured and is now out of danger. For this act of courage and bravery, we thank him profoundly,” the ministry said.
Watch: Rishi Sunak condemns ‘unfathomable’ horror knife attack in France
15:47 , Andy Gregory
Attacker was ‘incoherent’, says father of ‘backpack hero'
15:43 , Chris Stevenson
The father of the young man dubbed the “backpack hero” said that his son told him the attacker was “incoherent, saying lots of strange things in different languages, invoking his father, his mother, all the gods”.
He told the Associated Press: “In short, he was possessed by who knows what, but possessed by folly, that’s certain.”
The man, who wished only to be named Francois, said he didn’t show the disturbing video of the attack to his other children and his wife, and added that he and his wife had trouble sleeping even after learning that his son was safe.
“We thanked providence and his guardian angels,” he said.
Macron says British girl is awake
15:32 , Chris Stevenson
Emmanuel Macron has said the young British girl who was caught up in yesterday's attack and who received surgery had "woken up".
"She is watching TV and [the attack] is just a bad memory already," he is quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.
“Doctors are optimistic," Mr Macron added, though he said caution was still required.
Father of ‘backpack hero’ says son was ‘very courageous'
15:17 , Andy Gregory
Henri’s father, François, has said that he believes his son’s dogged pursuit helped dissuade the attacker from stabbing more victims before police wrestled him to the ground.
“He took a lot of risks – when he wasn’t armed, with just his backpacks,” he told The Associated Press. “He didn’t stop running after him for many minutes, to stop him from coming back and massacring the kids even more. I think he prevented carnage by scaring him off. Really very courageous.”
François asked that their last name not be published, expressing concerns about their family being thrust suddenly and inadvertently into the public eye at a time of shock and outrage in France provoked by the viciousness of Thursday’s attack and the helplessness of its young victims.
‘You have my gratitude and admiration’: Macron praises rescuers
15:03 , Andy Gregory
Emmanuel Macron has praised those who intervened in yesterday’s attack, as he met with rescuers and first responders in Annecy.
“I wanted to thank you on behalf of the nation for what you did ... Now is time for you to think about yourselves, especially those who intervened first,” the French president said. “Some [psychological] wounds will have to be healed so they don’t reopen later.”
He added : “I am proud of what was done by our fellow citizens who simply happened to be there. I am proud of the role you took on ... By just doing your duty, you did so much more than that.”
“You showed the face of a France that saves, that intervenes, that heals,” he concluded. “You have my gratitude and my admiration.”
Macron meets ‘backpack hero’ in Annecy
14:48 , Andy Gregory
Emmanuel Macron has met with the “backpack hero” who appeared to chase off the knife attacker at the lakeside park in Annecy.
The French president arrived at a local police headquarters close to the park at around 3pm with his wife Brigitte.
He then shook hands with Henri, 24, who intervened during the incident.
Dozens of police officers were present as he arrived at the building, just a short walk away from the incident.
Full report: France ‘absolutely shaken’ by attack, says prime minister
14:39 , Andy Gregory
The suspected knifeman has no criminal or psychiatric record and appears to have acted alone, French prime minister Elisabeth Borne has said.
“We are talking here about infants, very young infants who have been very seriously injured,” she told a press conference, according to a translation.
“We are absolutely shaken by all this and we are standing firm by the people of Annecy.”
British girl injured in Annecy stabbing was on holiday at time of attack
Macron meets family of British girl injured in attack
13:45 , Andy Gregory
Emmanuel Macron has met the family of the three-year-old British girl hospitalised in Grenoble after Thursday’s knife attack.
Three of the young children attacked in Annecy – including the British toddler – were taken to the hospital in Grenoble, the first stop of the French president’s visit to the region today, while the other young victim was taken to Geneva.
Watch: Suspect ‘tried to attack me’, recalls ‘backpack hero’
13:31 , Andy Gregory
The man hailed as the “backpack hero”, who intervened to try and fend off the attacker with his luggage, has told BFM TV that, “at times like that, you do whatever you can with whatever you've got”.
“Many other people intervened in whatever way they could – I saw a park employee try to hit the attacker with his big plastic spade,” said the 24-year-old, adding: “I acted like any French person would.
“If there is any lesson to be learned from my experience, it's that anything is possible if you stop being passive in the face of attacks of this kind.”
‘Hero’ pilgrim says attacker’s actions ‘profoundly un-Christian’
13:02 , Andy Gregory
The Catholic pilgrim dubbed the “backpack hero” who intervened during yesterday’s attack has dubbed the knifeman’s actions “profoundly un-Christian”, after eyewitnesses said the attacker invoked Jesus Christ during his rampage.
Asked about the suggestion that attacker may have been Christian, the 24-year-old named only as Henri said: “It is profoundly un-Christian to attack the vulnerable. The entire Christian civilisation on which our country is built is a knightly message to defend widows and orphans.
“I think that, on the contrary, something very bad inhabited him.”
Henri – who is set to meet president Emmanuel Macron later today – said he had to revisit the gruesome details of the attack during a three-hour statement to police on Thursday.
“I now have all these horrible images in my head. I need to try and turn that into something positive,” he said.
He would continue his months-long walking tour of France’s cathedrals and hoped to show social media followers “how the beauty of the cathedrals can nourish us and help us do the right thing”, he said, telling BFM TV: “Because of these events, I will be able to reach more people. I thank heaven.”
France hails ‘backpack hero’ who confronted knifeman in ‘unspeakable’ Annecy attack
Tearful British mother says ‘pirate playground’ was ‘a local treasure’
12:45 , Andy Gregory
A British mother of two living in Annecy was in tears as she said her son had asked to visit the lakeside park on the day of the attack.
Katie Jackson, 39, moved to the area in south-east France from London three years ago with her husband and sons Rudy, five, and nine-month-old Vinnie.
Speaking at the park, Ms Jackson said: “Yesterday we were inundated with phone calls from friends and relatives at home in the UK, and everybody was asking if we were safe. I know there was a British girl and they were here on holiday, and my heart just breaks for them.
“Locally we call this the ‘pirate playground’, because it has a pirate ship in it; it’s a place that our kids know and love. It was my son’s fifth birthday yesterday and he had mentioned he would be interested in going to the pirate place, but he was at school.
“It’s a local treasure, that’s why it’s so shocking. I don’t know anyone who hasn’t visited the pirate playground.”
‘Agitated’ suspect’s police custody extended
12:15 , Andy Gregory
Police have extended the custody of the suspect held over the knife attack in Annecy yesterday, local prosecutors have said.
Local broadcaster BFM TV quoted a source close to the investigation as saying the suspect was “very agitated”, had made incoherent remarks and rolled on the ground several times, but that his condition was considered compatible with police custody.
‘You are an angel’: France hails ‘backpack hero’
11:59 , Andy Gregory
The young pilgrim who attempted to stop the knifeman’s attack on Thursday is being hailed across the country as “the backpack hero”, with some people calling for him to be awarded France’s highest order of merit, the Legion of Honour.
Named only as Henri, the 24-year-old philosophy student came face-to-face with the attacker while making a months-long walking pilgrimage of France’s cathedrals.
“All I know is I was not there by chance,” he told the CNews television network. “It was unthinkable to do nothing ... I followed my instincts and did what I could to protect the weak.”
You can read more details here:
France hails ‘backpack hero’ who confronted knifeman in ‘unspeakable’ Annecy attack
Two adults caught up in attack are pensioners, French PM says
11:46 , Andy Gregory
The two adults caught up in the attack were both pensioners, French prime minister Elisabeth Borne has said.
According to the Telegraph, the man stabbed six times and accidentally shot by police was 78 years old.
Two of the children are in a critical but stable condition in hospital this morning, Ms Borne told reporters, while the others are said to have less serious injuries.
One of the two pensioners caught up in the attack told Reuters he had been sitting on a park bench when the attacker approached on the run.
“He probably wanted to create one more victim,” said Youssouf, who asked to withhold his family name.
Mass to be held at Annecy Cathedral
11:29 , Andy Gregory
A mass will be held in Annecy Cathedral in tribute to the victims and their families later on Friday, church authorities have said.
Man stabbed six times and shot by police is 78, report claims
11:18 , Andy Gregory
The man who was stabbed six times and accidentally shot by police is a 78-year-old, who is now in a life-threatening condition in hospital, according to the Daily Telegraph.
The knifeman is also reported to have been shot in the leg.
Macron arrives at hospital in Grenoble where young victims are being treated
11:07 , Andy Gregory
In the first stop of their visit to the region, French president Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte have arrived at a hospital in the city of Grenoble, where most of the children caught up in the attack are being treated.
First firefighters arrived at scene four minutes after alert was raised, says fire chief
10:21 , Andy Gregory
A total of 69 firefighters were mobilised in response to Thursday’s attack, with the first fire engine arriving four minutes after the alert was triggered, local fire chief Martial Saddier told BFM TV.
He told the broadcaster that he was driving in his car to Annecy on Thursday morning when he received an emergency message: “Code red, mass killing.”
France hails 24-year-old ‘backpack hero'
09:42 , Andy Gregory
The young man who attempted to stop the knifeman in Thursday’s attack is being hailed in France as “the backpack hero”, and reportedly is set to meet president Emmanuel Macron.
Henri, a 24-year old management and philosophy student, is reported to be a Catholic pilgrim on a walking tour of cathedrals who came face to face with the man who stabbed several children in a park in Annecy.
Footage shows him trying to block the assailant with one of his two backpacks, pursuing the man into the playground and throwing one of his bags at the attacker, after spotting the knifeman attacking children in a stroller as their mother desperately tried to shield them.
He is then seen pursuing the assailant across the wide expanse of the Le Paquier grasslands, dropping one of his backpacks to run faster, as police also start giving chase.
So far, most of France only knows him by the first and only name given on his social media, on which his only public comment so far is the message: “Pray for the children, I am ok.”
French media have called him “héros au sac à dos”, translating to the backpack hero, and his Facebook and Instagram accounts have been flooded with messages giving thanks for his actions.
“May God bless you ... you did what you could at that moment, you did not give up, you did not run. You are an angel,” Instagram user Mag Capone wrote on his site.
Psychiatrists evaluating suspect
09:14 , Andy Gregory
Psychiatrists are evaluating the 31-year-old Syrian refugee suspected of carrying out Thursday’s attackgovernment spokesman Olivier Veran has told reporters.
The attacker's motives were unknown but did not appear to be terrorism-related, according to lead prosecutor Line Bonnet-Mathis.
He was armed with a folding knife, Ms Bonnet-Mathis said.
Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron to visit Annecy today
09:10 , Andy Gregory
French president Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte will visit Annecy today.
The couple are traveling together to comfort victims wounded in Thursday’s attack, meet their families and those who came to their aid, the president’s office said.
Two children still in critical condition, authorities say
09:05 , Andy Gregory
Two of the four very young children badly injured in Thursday’s attack remain in a critical condition this morning, a French government spokesperson has said.
The four are aged between 22 months and 3 years old. Two are French, one is British and the other Dutch.
Suspect’s ‘ex-wife’ says she has not spoken to him for four months
08:49 , Andy Gregory
A woman identified as the suspect’s ex-wife said she had not spoken to him for four months.
Speaking to BFM TV, the woman said her ex-husband was a Christian and had not previously shown a violent streak.
“[Our relationship] stopped because we lived in Sweden and he did not want to live in Sweden anymore,” she told the broadcaster.
Swedish authorities say the suspect was granted asylum 10 years ago, but had twice been refused citizenship in 2017 and 2018, and had reapplied last August.
Live: People lay flowers after knife attack in Annecy
08:34 , Andy Gregory
Our video team has this live feed showing the scene of the attack, where some people are laying flowers and other items for the victims.
Dozens of tributes including flowers, teddy bears, candles and written messages were left at the park on Thursday night, with messages including “Love Annecy”, and “Children I don’t know you but in this hour you are fighting”.
Sweden confirms suspect was granted asylum there 10 years ago
08:20 , Andy Gregory
Authorities in Sweden have corroborated remarks by France’s interior minister that the suspect was denied asylum in France days before the attack because he was granted asylum in Sweden 10 years go.
The Swedish Migration Agency confirmed the suspect was granted permanent residency in 2013 and, without identifying him, said he subsequently sought Swedish citizenship in 2017 and 2018, both of which applications were denied, and applied again in August last year.
Mr Darmanin, France’s interior minister, said the suspect entered France legally.
He said: “For some reasons we don’t really understand, he applied for asylum in Switzerland, in Italy and in France, which he didn’t need to do as he already had asylum in Sweden for the past 10 years.”
France: Flowers and toys laid in tribute at Annecy park after children and adults stabbed
07:54 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Dozens of tributes including flowers, teddy bears, candles and written messages were left at a park in the French Alps following the stabbing attack that left four children - including a British girl - and two adults injured.
The area, which has a number of wooden structures for children to play on, was open to the public but empty at 12pm local time.
One of the messages left said: “Love Annecy.”
Police say they have arrested a suspect, a 31-year-old Syrian, following the attack.
Flowers and toys laid in tribute at Annecy park after horror knife attack
Suspect denied French asylum, says minister
07:22 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
The suspect in the stabbings of a group of children in the French Alps was denied asylum in France just days before the attack, according to a minister.
Police have identified the suspect as a 31-year-old Syrian. He has been arrested on suspicion of attacking four children and two adults at a lakeside park in Annecy on Thursday.
French interior minister Gerald Darmanin said the suspect had tried to claim asylum in France, but it was refused on Sunday because he had previously been granted asylum in Sweden 10 years ago.
More here.
Suspect in playground attack denied French asylum, minister says
Attacked children now in stable condition
07:06 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
The four young children stabbed in an open-air playground in France are now reportedly in stable condition.
The children, aged between 22 months and three, were transferred to hospitals in the French Alps and across the Swiss border in Geneva. One of the injured children is a three-year-old British national.
A 70-year-old man was also seriously injured – first by the knifeman and then by police fire during the attack – but is also in stable condition.
A second adult was treated for injuries not believed to be life-threatening.
British child among six stabbed in knife attack
06:51 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
A three-year-old British girl on holiday with her family was among four toddlers and two adults stabbed in an “odious and unspeakable” attack in an open-air playground in France on Thursday.
Witnesses described scenes of panic as screaming mothers sought to protect children from the assailant, who rampaged around a lakeside park in Annecy, in the French Alps.
At least one child was stabbed in a pram despite desperate efforts by a woman to push him aside.
Video showed the attack slashing at his victims and shouting “in the name of Jesus Christ.”Police have arrested a suspect, who they identified as a 31-year-old Syrian man who came to Europe a decade ago as a refugee.
British toddler among six stabbed in French playground horror
Woman leaps in front of attacker to save child
06:45 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
A woman bravely leapt in front of a pushchair to protect a child during the knife attack at a lakeside park in the French Alps.
The woman got in the way of the killer as he lunged at the innocent child, according to videos and eye witness reports.
Other videos from Thursday’s carnage show a bystander using his backpack in a bid to fend off the attacker after chasing him from the playground.
German chancellor Olaf Scholz condemns ‘odious and despicable’ stabbing
Thursday 8 June 2023 23:00 , Sam Rkaina
German chancellor Olaf Scholz has condemned the attack that saw four children injured on Thursday morning.
Scholz also revealed that the attack in the French Alps town of Annecy had involved a German child.
“Germany is shocked by this odious and despicable attack,” he said.
Stabbing suspect not high on ‘drugs or alcohol’ during attack - French prosecutors
Thursday 8 June 2023 22:30 , Sam Rkaina
The suspected attacker was “neither under the influence of drugs nor alcohol” at the time, French prosecutors have said.
The Telegraph reported that the 31-year-old Syrian asylum-seeker was sober when he allegedly stabbed six people in a park in the quiet town of Annecy on Thursday morning.
All of the children - whose ages ranged from 22 months to three years - were rushed to hospital in a critical condition. Local officials have since told the BBC that they are in a stable condition.
British girl injured in Annecy attack stable in hospital, according to reports
Thursday 8 June 2023 21:10 , Eleanor Noyce
A British girl injured in a knife attack at a lakeside park in the French Alps is in stable condition in hospital, according to reports.
The girl, said to be aged three, was one of four children and two adults wounded when the suspect - identified by police as a 31-year-old Syrian - attacked people with a knife in the town of Annecy on Thursday.
Authorities said the children were taken to hospital in critical condition, but Annecy mayor Francois Astorg told French media on Thursday evening they were “stable” and “out of the operating room” - with the Telegraph reporting the girl is now in hospital in Grenoble, a city around an hour-and-a-half away by car.
One of the adults involved suffered serious injuries as a result of both a knife wound from the attacker and a bullet wound from police as they shot at the knifeman while trying to detain him, according to local prosecutor Line Bonnet-Mathis.
Witnesses said the knifeman shouted “in the name of Jesus Christ” as he launched the attack, including stabbing a child in a pushchair repeatedly as bystanders screamed for help.
Ms Bonnet-Mathis told a press conference on Thursday afternoon the attacker’s motives remain unclear, but do not appear to be related to terrorism.
Everything we know about suspected France playground attacker after toddlers stabbed
Thursday 8 June 2023 21:03 , Eleanor Noyce
A picturesque French town has been left reeling after four children were stabbed in a playground horror attack.
Two adults were also injured in the attack in Annecy in the French Alps on Thursday morning. All of the youngsters - who were aged between 22 months and three - were transferred to hospitals in the French Alps and across the Swiss border in Geneva.
One of the injured children is British, the UK foreign secretary James Cleverly confirmed and is believed to have been on holiday at the time.
Oliver Pritchard-Jones reports:
Everything we know about suspected France playground attacker after toddlers stabbed
France had rejected asylum demand made by Annecy knife attacker - minister
Thursday 8 June 2023 20:03 , Eleanor Noyce
France had rejected earlier this month an asylum demand made by the man behind the knife attack earlier on Thursday in the French town of Annecy, said French interior minister Gerald Darmanin.
Darmanin also told TF1 news that the Syrian refugee arrested over the attack had “certain Christian religious insignia” upon him. He had obtained asylum in Sweden 10 years ago, and made asylum requests in Switzerland and Italy as well, added Darmanin.
Flowers left for the victims at site of Annecy knife attack
Thursday 8 June 2023 20:00 , Eleanor Noyce
Flowers have been placed at a playground in the ‘Jardins de l’Europe’ in Annecy where a knife attack took place on Thursday morning.
A Syrian refugee suspected of stabbing six people in the French Alpine town did not appear to have a "terrorist motive", the local prosecutor told reporters.
Prosecutor Line Bonnet-Mathis said that of the four children injured in the assault, one was aged just 22 months, two were two-year-olds, and the eldest was three.
Mapped: Scene of ‘savage’ stabbing in the oft-nicknamed ‘Pearl of the French Alps'
Thursday 8 June 2023 18:46 , Eleanor Noyce
An alpine town in southeastern France, Annecy is nicknamed the “Pearl of the French Alps.”
It is 93 miles east of Lyon, the third-largest city in France, and has a population of approximately 50,000.
Here, we map out the town’s location in France and zoom in on where the scene took place:
‘The police were there very quickly’, witness tells Sky News
Thursday 8 June 2023 18:35 , Eleanor Noyce
One woman, Eleanor Vincent, who has been in Annecy for the last five days on holiday, was at the scene as police began to cordon off the park.
She told Sky News: “The police were there very quickly, the area was cordoned off.
“I did not see the crime scene thank heavens, but I did see the aftermath because I stayed in the area for about 45 minutes just trying to take in what had happened and to take some photos to be able to document what was going on.”
Psychological support in place for witnesses, says deputy mayor
Thursday 8 June 2023 18:25 , Eleanor Noyce
Chantale Farmer, deputy mayor of Annecy, told BBC News that support has been put in place for witnesses and a class of schoolchildren who were in the park at the time of the attack.
She said: “We’ve put in place psychological help, a free phone number that people can phone.
“We also took into account the witnesses and the victims with the hospitals (and) with some doctors so they could speak out.
“We’ve done it also in a school because there was a class that was doing sport on the field during the attack and so we’ve put the psychological help also in that school to help people to express and to try to find a way to help them, as we can.
“The phone number is on our website for people.”
Schools put on ‘lockdown’ after attack, deputy mayor confirms
Thursday 8 June 2023 18:23 , Eleanor Noyce
Speaking to BBC News, deputy mayor of Annecy, Chantale Farmer, said schools were put on “lockdown” shortly after the attack in a nearby playground.
When asked how people living in the town are, she said: “They are shocked and devastated.
“They’re really sad and they feel also some anger so we share this with them.
“We try to answer some questions that we can.
“We try to protect the children because we had schools around so we locked them down for a while and so we (could) also give information to the parents and also to the people working in those schools.
“All the people in Annecy are very shocked right now.”
Children ‘out of the operating room’, Annecy Mayor tells French broadcaster
Thursday 8 June 2023 17:35 , Eleanor Noyce
Annecy mayor François Astorg has confirmed that injured children are “out of the operating room” after this morning’s attack.
“For the moment, their condition seems stable”, he told French broadcaster BFM TV.
One adult remained in surgery, Mr Astorg said.
Local residents return to playground following attack
Thursday 8 June 2023 17:27 , Eleanor Noyce
Local residents and children have returned to the playground in the ‘Jardins de l’Europe’ in Annecy following a knife attack.
Prosecutor Line Bonnet-Mathis said that of the four children injured in the assault, one was aged just 22 months, two were two-year-olds, and the eldest was three.
White roses pictured at children’s playground following attack
Thursday 8 June 2023 17:10 , Eleanor Noyce
White roses have been pictured at the children's playground after several children and adults were injured in a knife attack at the Le Paquier park near the lake in Annecy.
The victims are four children aged between 22 months and 3 years and two pensioners aged 70 and 78.
Two of the toddlers and one adult are in a life-threatening condition in hospital, police said.
Annecy stabbing: Who is the suspect?
Thursday 8 June 2023 16:50 , Eleanor Noyce
The suspected attacker is a Syrian national who was carrying Syrian and Swedish identity papers, including a Swedish drivers’ license, according to French authorities.
French prime minister Elisabeth Borne said the 31-year-old was granted refugee status in Sweden 10 years ago and was in France legally. A subsequent asylum request in France had been refused on the grounds Sweden had already approved one, she said.
An eyewitness video, verified by Reuters, shows a bearded man with sunglasses and a blue checkered headscarf running through the park, clutching a knife.
Another shows him jumping a wall into a playground and lunging at a child in a pushchair as a woman tries to block his path.
The suspect was shot at by police and overpowered by officers. He is under investigation for attempted murder, the local prosecutor said.
France stabbing: what we know so far about the Annecy attack
Thursday 8 June 2023 16:35 , Eleanor Noyce
Here is what we know so far about a knife attack against toddlers in the southeastern French town of Annecy on Thursday, in which some of them were seriously wounded.
Where did the attack happen?
In a park in Annecy, a tranquil town at the foot of the French Alps that is popular for winter sports as well as for summer pursuits like hiking and parasailing. Annecy is known as the Pearl of the French Alps.
The lakeside Le Paquier park, whose name comes from the word for “pasture” in a local dialect, lies between the town centre and the northwestern corner of Lake Annecy.
Who are the victims?
The victims are four children aged between 22 months and 3 years and two pensioners aged 70 and 78.
Two of the toddlers and one adult are in a life-threatening condition in hospital, police said.
Britain’s foreign minister said one of the children wounded in the attack was British, and the lead prosecutor in the case said another was Dutch.
‘Mothers were crying, everybody was running’: Witnesses react to Annecy knife attack
Thursday 8 June 2023 16:20 , Eleanor Noyce
Several witnesses described Le Paquier park as an usually tranquil place popular with tourists for its stunning views of Lake Annecy and the mountains.
“It’s a place where babysitters and parents take young children to play. I often see around 15 toddlers there in the morning, and the atmosphere is fantastic,” said Yohan, who works at an ice-cream parlour just opposite the park.
“He clearly targeted the babies,” a witness who gave his name as Ferdinand told BFM TV.
“Mothers were crying, everybody was running,” said George, owner of a nearby restaurant.
French National Assembly holds minute's silence for stabbing victims
Thursday 8 June 2023 16:10 , Eleanor Noyce
The French National Assembly has observed a minute of silence to mark the incident.
“Nothing more abominable than to attack children,” National Assembly speaker Yael Braun-Pivet said on Twitter.
“The nation is in shock,” President Emmanuel Macron added, calling the attack “an act of absolute cowardice”.
Suspect has one child same age as children attacked, PM Borne says
Thursday 8 June 2023 15:49 , Eleanor Noyce
France is “standing firm” after several very young children were stabbed in Annecy, French prime minister Elisabeth Borne said.
She told a press conference that the attacker was a Syrian national who has refugee status in Sweden.
He has no criminal or psychiatric record, she said.
“He has one child who is the same age as the children he attacked,” Ms Borne said.
“We are absolutely shaken by all this and we are standing firm by the people of Annecy.”
31-year-old suspect had ‘no apparent terrorist motive’, says Annecy prosecutor
Thursday 8 June 2023 15:30 , Eleanor Noyce
The 31-year-old suspect, a Syrian man who was granted refugee status in Sweden, did not appear to have a terrorist motive.
Annecy prosecutor Line Bonnet-Mathis told a press conference that he was “not known to any intelligence service” and had “no apparent terrorist motive.”
“The children are in a very severe state and are in intensive care,” Ms Bonnet-Mathis added.
A criminal investigation has been launched and the attacker was arrested and is being held in the Annecy police station, she said.
Moment knife-wielding man stalks playground before stabbing in French Alps
Thursday 8 June 2023 15:20 , Eleanor Noyce
Warning, this video contains scenes that some viewers may find upsetting.
Eyewitness footage has emerged of a man stalking a playground before allegedly attacking children in Annecy, southeastern France, on Thursday 8 June.
The video shows the suspect walking in the area as members of the public can be heard screaming.
French authorities confirmed four children - aged between 22 months and three years - suffered life-threatening wounds in the attack.
Police have said the suspected attacker has legal refugee status in France.
He was not previously known to authorities.
Moment knife-wielding man stalks playground before stabbing in French Alps
Suella Braverman ‘appalled’ by playground attack
Thursday 8 June 2023 15:09 , Eleanor Noyce
Suella Braverman said she is “appalled” by the playground attack in a lakeside park in the French Alps.
The Home Secretary tweeted: “I am appalled by the attack on young children in Annecy, France.
“My thoughts are with the children, their families and the local community who have been affected by this shocking act.
“I’m in touch with my friend, Minister GDarmanin (French interior minister Gerald Darmanin), to offer our full support.”
Sir Keir Starmer offers solidarity following Annecy knife attack
Thursday 8 June 2023 15:07 , Eleanor Noyce
Sir Keir Starmer offered his solidarity with France after several very young children were stabbed in the French Alps.
The Labour leader tweeted: “Horrific news from Annecy.
“My thoughts are with the victims of today’s shocking attack, their families and the wider community.
“The U.K. is united in offering our support to France.”
‘You’d never think this could be possible in such a peaceful environment’, says Annecy resident
Thursday 8 June 2023 15:04 , Eleanor Noyce
Annecy resident Dominique Griziaux said he was at the nearby “Pop Beach” when the wail of sirens filled the air. The attack had left him feeling sick inside.
“You put yourself in the place of parents and grandparents put through this drama,” said Griziaux, adding that an attack on such young children was “just unthinkable”.
“You’d never think this could be possible in such a peaceful, bucolic environment as Annecy.”
'It was horrible': Former Liverpool footballer describes Annecy knife attack
Thursday 8 June 2023 14:56 , Eleanor Noyce
Anthony Le Tallec was jogging around the pristine waters of Lake Annecy in the foothills of the Alps when a wave of panicked bystanders rushed past in the opposite direction.
One mother urged him to turn and run.
“There’s someone stabbing everyone along the lakeshore. He’s knifed children,” Le Tallec, a former professional football player with Liverpool FC, quoted her as telling him in a video account of what he saw that he posted on Instagram.
Confused, Le Tallec said he kept jogging through the park in the town of Annecy but soon saw a man heading his way with police officers in pursuit but struggling to catch up.
“I see that he’s heading straight for a group of elderly men and women. He attacks one grandpa, stabs him once, the cops can’t catch him, so I tell the cops, ‘shoot him’,” Le Tallec continued.
‘Our lives have been turned upside down’, says father of children who witnessed attack
Thursday 8 June 2023 14:47 , Eleanor Noyce
Speaking to reporters in France, the father of children who witnessed the knife attack in Annecy has said that his family lives have been “turned upside down.”
“We’re in a total panic. We spent two hours without any news. Now I know my children are safe”, he said.
“All of our lives have been turned upside down because for years we’ve been walking alongside the lake.
“We made it, but now we’re thinking back. Now there is a before and an after.
“We have fear in our stomachs. My children will not be living in a quiet state of mind anymore.”
‘When I heard the mother’s scream, I started to run’, says witness
Thursday 8 June 2023 14:46 , Eleanor Noyce
A woman who said she had witnessed the attack said that the attacker had jumped over a park fence and stabbed a small girl and a baby in a stroller.
“I really thought it was a joke, but not at all,” the woman, who was not identified, told France Bleu radio.
“When I heard the mother’s scream, I started to run.”
Alleged Annecy knife attacker was granted refugee status by Sweden, says PM Borne
Thursday 8 June 2023 14:35 , Eleanor Noyce
French prime minister Élisabeth Borne has confirmed that the alleged Annecy knife attacker, a 31-year-old man from Syria, was granted refugee status by Sweden.
The French prosecutor added that 4 children aged between 22 months and 3 years suffered life-threatening wounds.
The prosecutor added that the alleged attacker was slightly injured.
One injured child is a Dutch national, another British - Annecy prosecutor
Thursday 8 June 2023 14:30 , Eleanor Noyce
One of the children injured in a knife attack in a playground in France is a Dutch national, and another British, the Annecy prosecutor has confirmed.
Prime minister Rishi Sunak earlier tweeted: “My thoughts are with all of those affected by the shocking attack in Annecy this morning.
Calling it a “truly cowardly act”, he said: “The UK and France have always stood together against acts of violence, and we do so again today.”
In pictures: Annecy responds to ‘savage' knife attack
Thursday 8 June 2023 14:26 , Eleanor Noyce
France knife attack: British child among victims injured in playground stabbings
Thursday 8 June 2023 14:14 , Eleanor Noyce
One of the children injured in a knife attack in a playground in France is a British national.
Foreign secretary James Cleverly confirmed their nationality in a statement following multiple stabbings in the town of Annecy in the French alps.
President Emmanuel Macron called the attack an act of “absolute cowardice” and said the “nation is in shock”.
A man armed with a knife is believed to have entered a children’s playground in a park near the town’s renowned lake.
French interior minister Gerald Darmanin said that the suspected attacker had been arrested and a press conference with police is due to take place shortly.
More follows:
British child among victims injured in French playground stabbings
‘Our thoughts are with the victims and the families’, says Cleverly
Thursday 8 June 2023 14:12 , Eleanor Noyce
UK foreign secretary James Cleverly told an Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) press conference: “Our thoughts are with the victims and the families and we stand ready to support the French authorities in whichever way we can.
“Also aware that one of the people, one of the children injured, was a British national. We have already deployed British consular officials who are travelling to the area to make themselves available to support the family.
“And of course we stand in strong solidarity with the people of France at this terrible time.”
One of injured children in French knife attack was a British national, Cleverly confirms
Thursday 8 June 2023 13:55 , Eleanor Noyce
UK foreign secretary James Cleverly has confirmed that one of the children injured in the knife attack in Annecy is a British national.
Cleverly was speaking at an Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) news conference in Paris.
Archbishop of Annecy says tragedy ‘poses questions about violence'
Thursday 8 June 2023 13:23 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Yves Le Saux, the archbishop of Annecy, has said that a mass will be held on Friday in Annecy cathedral in tribute to the victims and their families.
He said: “This tragedy poses questions about violence that is running through our society and pushes us to work every harder, together, to fight it.”
Four children wounded in knife attack in French town, two in critical condition
Thursday 8 June 2023 13:07 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
A Syrian national wounded four young children and an adult in a knife attack in a park in the southeastern French town of Annecy on Thursday, police said, and some of the victims were in critical condition.
The attacker was a Syrian national with legal refugee status in France, a police official told Reuters. He was not known to security agencies and his motives were unclear, an investigative source said. French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said on Twitter that the attacker had been arrested. BFM TV showed footage of several policemen overpowering an individual in the park.
Two children and one adult were in life-threatening condition, while two children were slightly hurt, police said. The wounded children were aged between 22 months and 3 years, they said.
“Children and one adult are between life and death. The nation is in shock,” French President Emmanuel Macron said in a statement on Twitter, calling the attack “an act of absolute cowardice”.
France stabbings: Ex-Liverpool footballer witnessed attack, says he saw ‘injured children on the ground’
Thursday 8 June 2023 13:03 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Former Liverpool footballer Anthony Le Tallec has said he witnessed the stabbing attack in a lakeside park in the town of Annecy on Thursday morning that left a number of children badly injured.
Four young children and an adult were injured in the incident, which began when a man armed with a knife entered their playground, according to police, with two of the children and the adult battling life-threatening injuries.
French interior minister Gerald Darmanin said that the suspected attacker had been arrested.
Mr Le Tallec, who retired in 2021 and now works as a coach at the Alpine town’s football club said: “I was running by the lake and I saw around ten people running in the opposite direction to me.”
Ex-Liverpool footballer witnessed ‘horrible’ France stabbing attack
‘Everyone was running'
Thursday 8 June 2023 13:03 , Chris Stevenson
Witnesses said at least one of the children wounded in the attack was in a stroller.
"He jumped [in the playground], started shouting and then went towards the strollers, repeatedly hitting the little ones with a knife," a witness who gave his name as Ferdinand told BFM TV.
"Mothers were crying, everybody was running," said George, another witness and owner of a nearby restaurant.
Former Liverpool player Anthony Le Tallec says he witnessed attack
Thursday 8 June 2023 12:28 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Former Liverpool FC footballer Anthony Le Tallec says he witnessed part of the attack.
Speaking in a video on Instagram, he says he was running by the lake in Annecy, and recalls people running towards him telling him to flee - having themselves seen a knifeman attacking children.
Le Tallec says the suspect then appeared in front of him, chased by police officers.
“He came near me, so I moved, I moved away,” he says.
Le Tallec adds: “I said to the cops, ‘shoot him! Kill him!’
“He attacked once, twice and then they started to shoot him.”
Knife attacker injures several, including children, in French Alpine town
Thursday 8 June 2023 12:25 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Several children – all around the age of three – have been stabbed in an attack in the town of Annecy in the French alps.
President Emmanuel Macron called the attack an act of “absolute cowardice” and said the “nation is in shock”.
A man armed with a knife is believed to have entered a children’s playground in a park near the town’s renowned lake, according to local media reports. French interior minister Gerald Darmanin said that the suspected attacker had been arrested.
Four young children and an adult were injured, according to police. Initial reports suggested up to eight children and one adult had been victims of the attack. That number could be subject to change as the situation evolves.
Police said two of the children suffered life-threatening injuries while the other two are slightly hurt. They added that the adult also suffered life-threatening wounds.
Knife attacker injures several, including children, in Annecy, France
Thursday 8 June 2023 12:25 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Welcome to our liveblog where we will keep you updated with the latest from Annecy, France where several children were stabbed.
