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Rabat – French authorities have detained a man in connection with the stabbing attack in Annecy, charging him with “attempted murder,” prosecutors said on Saturday.
The 32-year-old Syrian refused to speak during his 48 hour detention in police custody or before the magistrates who are leading his investigation, public prosecutor Line Bonnet-Mathis said during a press conference.
“Presently, it is premature to assess his motivations,” she said, adding that he was examined by a psychiatrist who determined that his state of health could not exempt him from being held in custody.
The suspect had been denied asylum in France previously, because Sweden had granted him permanent residency and refugee status a decade ago.
The attack saw six people, including children, sustain injuries on Thursday.
Two adults suffered knife wounds, according to the official, adding that one of them was additionally hurt by a shot fired by police as they were making the arrest.
The oldest child who fell victim to the attack is three years old, she added, detailing that the youngest was only 22-months-old.
The victims are no longer in life-threatening condition, Bonnet-Mathis reassured during the press conference.
The attack was condemned by various political figures in France, with President Emmanuel Macron saying that the nation was “in shock.”
“Absolute cowardice this morning in a park in Annecy. Children and an adult are between life and death. The nation is in shock. Our thoughts are with them, their families, and the emergency services,” he tweeted.
Macron and his wife Brigitte visited the wounded children on Friday, at a hospital in Grenoble, calling for patience and transparency to solve the case.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin thanked “the very rapid intervention of the police” for the suspect’s arrest.
