Crime: After a knife attack in France: the search for a motive continues

crime
After a knife attack in France: the search for a motive continues

Investigators are examining the crime scene in Annecy in eastern France. photo

© Jean-Christophe Bott/KEYSTONE/dpa

On a playground, a man severely stabbed four children and two adults. The interrogation of the attacker continues, the motive is still open.

After a man attacked four children and two adults with a knife on a playground in Annecy, France, investigators are still looking for the perpetrator’s motive. The assailant, who was overpowered and arrested by police officers, continued to be questioned last night, prosecutor Line Bonnet-Mathis said.

In any case, the perpetrator was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs. “We’re trying to understand his motive.” According to the authorities, there was no evidence of a terrorist motive. As the newspaper “Le Parisien” reported, the man should be psychiatrically examined today. In police custody he suffered a severe hysterical attack.

Children aged 22 months to 3 years

There was initially no new status on the health of the seriously injured victims. The four injured children aged between 22 months and 3 years had been taken to clinics in Geneva and Grenoble. Two of them were French siblings, the others were on holiday and are from the UK and the Netherlands.

It is known that the perpetrator has only been in France for a few months. The Syrian had previously lived in Sweden for ten years, Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said. In France he was without a permanent residence. For the European security authorities, the man is unknown, there is nothing about him. There is also no evidence of psychiatric treatment in the past.

Although the man was recognized as an asylum seeker in Sweden, he had also applied for asylum in France last year. As the broadcaster BFMTV reported, this application for asylum was rejected four days ago. Whether this could have something to do with the fact is open.

Rights exploit action

The act caused shock in France, but was promptly exploited by the right and extreme right to demand a limit on immigration. In view of announced right-wing rallies, the prefect in Annecy issued a ban on demonstrations. Announced rallies under the motto of “Francocide”, the killing of French people by foreigners, propagated by the extreme right, could be seen as a provocation, explained Prefect Yves le Breton. These could lead to counter-demonstrations and public violence.

According to media reports, the attacker in Sweden is said to have been married to a woman and have a three-year-old daughter – he and his wife recently separated. Both would have completed online training in nursing.

dpa

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