Annecy
Victims of the knife attack in France out of danger – perpetrators in custody
“For our little hearts” is written on the balloon, which, along with many flowers and candles on the playground in Annecy, is intended to commemorate the shocking act
© Jean-Christophe Bott / DPA
The good news after the knife attack in Annecy, France: All victims are now out of danger. The perpetrator, however, remains silent about his motive. He was taken into custody for attempted murder.
The knife attack in the French city of Annecy has shaken the country. The perpetrator injured four children and two adults with a knife and has since been taken into custody. The 31-year-old man was silent about his motive in police custody and before the examining magistrate, said prosecutor Line Bonnet-Mathis on Saturday in the Alpine town, where the bloody crime took place on Thursday morning. There is still no evidence of a terrorist background. The man was psychiatrically examined, there was no evidence of delusions. All victims are out of danger.
Furthermore, there are some indications of psychological problems in the perpetrator, who behaved restlessly in custody and rolled on the floor. The man apparently refused to go to the investigating judge on Saturday morning. As could be seen on television pictures, officers had to carry the man to the police car in a hospital chair. However, the psychiatrists saw him as able to submit to questioning and to take pre-trial detention. A medical examination found no evidence of alcohol or drugs.
The perpetrator of Annecy is said to have spoken of a woman and child
As the prosecutor said, according to witness statements, the man spoke of his wife and daughter and of Jesus Christ during the crime. The Syrian wore a cross, and two Christian pictures, cash and a driver’s license were also found on him. It had previously been said that the perpetrator was a Christian Syrian. A jackknife, the only weapon used in the murder, was also found on him. After the crime, the man was followed by bystanders in a playground in Annecy Park and then overpowered by the police.
While the perpetrator is silent, the investigators are now concentrating their investigations on his life and his living conditions. The prosecutor said the man fled Syria in 2013 to Sweden, where he received asylum and later married. He has a three-year-old daughter and last year he separated from his wife. In May 2022 he traveled to Italy and Switzerland and came to France in the autumn, where he applied for asylum. This was rejected because Sweden had already recognized it. He received the rejection decision four days before the crime. In Annecy he lived as a homeless person in house entrances, according to the police there was nothing against him.
The nagging question of why
While people in Annecy continue to pause and lay flowers in the face of the shocking act, the nagging questioning of why continues for them. The prosecutor’s brief, matter-of-fact words about the injuries to the small children between the ages of 22 months and three years only hinted at the horror of the attack. The perpetrator rammed his knife into the little one’s neck and stomach. Bonnet-Mathis emphasized that the direct witnesses, the parents, were in severe shock and were also victims.