All children "stable" after Annecy stabbing; Two still in critical condition
The condition of four children injured in a stabbing attack at a playground in Annecy, France, on Thursday were all “stable” on Friday morning, French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne told local media. Two were still in critical condition, but they were able to undergo surgery, she said.
Four young children and two adults were hurt in the attack on Thursday. Two children and an adult were rushed to nearby hospitals with critical injuries. A 22-month-old Dutch child is among the victims.
A spokesperson for the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs told NOS that the Dutch victim is a young girl. The spokesperson couldn’t say anything about her condition or whether the Ministry had contact with her family.
According to broadcaster BFMTV, the two critically injured children are cousins - a 2-year-old girl and a 3-year-old boy. They were walking with their grandmother on the shores of the lake when they were attacked.
French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte visited the three hospitalized victims on Friday morning. They’ll also visit the scene of the crime.
The attack happened at around 9:45 a.m. at a playground in Annecy. A video shot by a witness showed the suspect running out of a playground as people screamed. Someone can be heard shouting “In the name of Jesus Christ” multiple times, though it is unclear whether it was the suspect.
The suspect ran at an adult man, making slashing motions at him, before running back into the playground. He sprinted towards a screaming woman, trying to protect a child in a pram. He appeared to stab the child twice, running toward the pram several more times before fleeing the scene.
The suspect, 31-year-old Abdalmasih H. from Syria, is still in custody, the French prosecutor said on Friday. He will be sent for psychiatric evaluation on Friday. At this stage, the attack seems to be random and not a terrorist attack, the prosecutor said.
