The man accused of stabbing four young children at a park in France Thursday is facing multiple charges, including attempted murder, prosecutors stated Saturday.
An unnamed 31-year-old Syrian refugee accused of stabbing four children appeared before judges in France June 10 where he was charged with attempted murder and armed resistance, regional prosecutor Line Bonnet-Mathis told the Associated Press. After the suspect was taken into custody, he reportedly refused to speak with investigators but a psychiatric evaluation determined he was fit to face charges, the outlet stated.
French judges on Saturday handed preliminary charges of attempted murder to a man suspected of stabbing four young children and two adults in a French Alps park. https://t.co/lWEDzG1QkM
— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) June 10, 2023
The horrific assault unfolded Thursday at a playground in Lake Annecy, a town located in the French Alps. For reasons still unknown, the suspect entered the playground armed with a knife and began stabbing children and adults until he was chased away from the scene by a 24-year-old man — a Catholic pilgrim named Henri — since lauded by the French media as the “hero with a backpack.”
The children, ranging in age from 22 months to three-years-old, were all critically injured in the attack but have improved after undergoing surgery, the AP reported. One adult, a Portuguese man who was critically injured after attempting to help detain the suspect, is regaining consciousness and believed to be “out of danger,” Portugal’s foreign ministry stated, according to the AP. (RELATED: Axe Attack At Daycare Leaves 4 Children Dead, 4 Injured)
Law enforcement officials learned the suspect has permanent residency in Sweden, where his three-year-old daughter is living, but was denied citizenship there because he once served in the Syrian Army, the AP reported. The suspect applied for asylum in France in 2022 but that request was denied a few days prior to the attack because he had already been granted asylum in Sweden, the AP reported.
While investigators are still attempting to determine a motive for the attack, witnesses told investigators the suspect mentioned his daughter, his wife and Jesus Christ during the attack, the outlet reported.