The tragedy occurred this morning, near Lake Annecy. A knife attack left at least six wounded, including four young children, on Thursday, according to the prefecture of Haute-Savoie. Three of the victims, two children and one adult, are in a state of absolute emergency.
The Anti-Terrorist Sub-Directorate (SDAT) of the judicial police was seized. The alleged assailant was arrested in the aftermath. Le Parisien takes stock of the first known elements on his profile.
Read alsoFind our live on the attack of Annecy
An asylum application in 2022
Arrested by the police, Abdalmasih H. had identity papers according to which he was of Syrian nationality, according to our information.
The man is 31 years old. It would be unknown to the police and intelligence files. The alleged perpetrator is believed to be a refugee claimant. In France, he had submitted his asylum application to the Ofpra on 28 November 2022, under the normal procedure. In the meantime, he had been granted refugee status in Sweden by a decision of 26 April 2023. He arrived in the country in 2013.
According to a witness interviewed by France Bleu, the alleged perpetrator of the attack had been seen in the area of the attack for two months. "This man, for sure, he was on the Pâquier (area by the lake where the knife attack took place) for about two months. He was there every morning, from morning to night and everyone had spotted him a little because he was all alone, "says a witness of the scene to the local radio.