A three-year-old British girl who is currently battling for her life after Thursday’s horrifying playground stabbing in France had been there on holiday. The 31-year-old attacker was soon captured by police officers but not before also wounding a 22-month-old baby, a two-year-old boy, and his three-year-old cousin as well as two pensioners.
The attacker, brandishing a four-inch knife, yelled “in the name of Jesus Christ” twice in English during the rampage.
He even targeted a youngster in a pram, and the British child was later taken to a hospital in Grenoble for treatment.
Videos of the frightening incident that caused mothers pushing strollers to hastily defend their children after the bearded attacker proceeded menacingly around the playground were widely shared on social media.
In addition, a 78-year-old man was gravely injured after being stabbed six times and unintentionally hit by a stray bullet fired by the police.
The apparently random attack in Le Paquier Park on the shores of Lake Annecy in the French Alps also injured a 70-year-old pensioner.
More than 200 emergency personnel, including 160 police officers, flocked to the scene right away before the perpetrator was taken into custody.
Authorities claim that they have eliminated terrorism as a possible explanation for the incident.
Addressing the incident in Washington, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak described it as an “unfathomable attack,” while France’s Emmanuel Macron condemned it as “an act of absolute cowardice.”
He added: “The nation is in shock.”
The suspect was named by the French media as Abdelmasih H, who had applied for asylum in Sweden ten years ago.
He is believed to have belonged to the persecuted Syrian Christian community. He apparently had recently been divorced from his Swedish wife and was homeless, spending the last two months in the park.
Prosecutors emphasised that the perpetrator had a three-year-old daughter who was notable for being the same age as his British victim. According to reports, his application for refuge in France was denied just four days before the incident.
