Man stabs multiple people, including children, in France, authorities say

The motive for the attack, in the southeast of the city of Annecy, was not immediately clear.
A man armed with a knife stabbed several people, including children, in southeastern France on Thursday, French authorities said.
Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said on Twitter that the man had injured several people in a park in Annecy, a city of around 130,000 people in southeastern France. France. The extent of the injuries and the perpetrator's motive were not immediately clear, nor were the ages of the children he stabbed.
Mr. Darmanin said a suspect had been arrested.
Antoine Armand, an MP for the Haute-Savoie region, which includes Annecy, said on Twitter that he there had been an "abominable stabbing attack on children in a playground" in the city. "We know very little at this stage," Mr. Armand said.
Local authorities said a police operation was underway at Jardins de l'Europe, a popular lakeside park in Annecy, and asked members of the public to stay away from the area.
The lower house of France's parliament observed a minute's silence after news of the attack broke, briefly interrupting heated debates among lawmakers over the law overhaul of President Emmanuel Macron's pensions.
Yaël Braun-Pivet, the president of the lower house, said that the French Prime Minister was traveling to Annecy because of the attack.
"There are very young children who are seriously injured," said Ms. Braun-Pivet.
Terrorist attacks have declined in recent years in France, but the country is still on high alert, and authorities say police and intelligence services regularly foil plots.
< p class="css -at9mc1 evys1bk0">Although the motive for Thursday's stabbings is unknown, France was hit by large-scale Islamist terrorist attacks in 2015 and 2016, followed by a series of stabbings. fire and smaller but still fatal stab wounds in subsequent years, often perpetrated by lone assailants.
Attacks specifically targeting children are rare in France. In 1993, a masked gunman held toddlers hostage for two days at their kindergarten in the Paris suburbs, but eventually released them unharmed before being killed by police.
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World Jun 8, 2023 0 33 Add to Reading List

Man stabs multiple people, including children, in France, authorities say

The motive for the attack, in the southeast of the city of Annecy, was not immediately clear.

A man armed with a knife stabbed several people, including children, in southeastern France on Thursday, French authorities said.

Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said on Twitter that the man had injured several people in a park in Annecy, a city of around 130,000 people in southeastern France. France. The extent of the injuries and the perpetrator's motive were not immediately clear, nor were the ages of the children he stabbed.

Mr. Darmanin said a suspect had been arrested.

Antoine Armand, an MP for the Haute-Savoie region, which includes Annecy, said on Twitter that he there had been an "abominable stabbing attack on children in a playground" in the city. "We know very little at this stage," Mr. Armand said.

Local authorities said a police operation was underway at Jardins de l'Europe, a popular lakeside park in Annecy, and asked members of the public to stay away from the area.

The lower house of France's parliament observed a minute's silence after news of the attack broke, briefly interrupting heated debates among lawmakers over the law overhaul of President Emmanuel Macron's pensions.

Yaël Braun-Pivet, the president of the lower house, said that the French Prime Minister was traveling to Annecy because of the attack.

"There are very young children who are seriously injured," said Ms. Braun-Pivet.

Terrorist attacks have declined in recent years in France, but the country is still on high alert, and authorities say police and intelligence services regularly foil plots.

< p class="css -at9mc1 evys1bk0">Although the motive for Thursday's stabbings is unknown, France was hit by large-scale Islamist terrorist attacks in 2015 and 2016, followed by a series of stabbings. fire and smaller but still fatal stab wounds in subsequent years, often perpetrated by lone assailants.

Attacks specifically targeting children are rare in France. In 1993, a masked gunman held toddlers hostage for two days at their kindergarten in the Paris suburbs, but eventually released them unharmed before being killed by police.