THE Syrian suspect for knife attack aiming young children in the Comfort he had arrived in France eight months ago from Sweden, where he had previously lived, because he had failed to obtain Swedish citizenship, his ex-wife told AFP.

The young woman, who shared her life with him until last year in southwestern Sweden, expressed doubts about the act attributed to Abdulmasih X, 31, from whom she divorced a few months ago.

“I don’t know what happened to him, what you’re telling me, it’s terrible. But I have no contact with him, I don’t know where he lives, nor how he’s doing psychologically,” the ex-wife confessed on condition of anonymity.

The attack that took place this morning caused six injuries, including four children aged 22 to 36 months, in a park near Lake Annecy.

“He? (…) My God, he was so kind, I don’t understand,” the young woman added when she heard the news.

As he said, the departure of Syros, who according to the French police is a Christian, is related to the fact that he “failed to obtain Swedish citizenship”.

“We met in Turkey, fell in love and came here (to Sweden). After two years, we got married, but he couldn’t get Swedish citizenship, so he decided to leave the country. We broke up because I didn’t want to leave Sweden,” he said. speaking to AFP by phone.

His departure took place “eight months ago”, according to the young woman, who confirmed that she had obtained refugee status in Sweden.

French authorities said they registered an asylum request on his behalf in late November 2022, without following up as he had already sought, and subsequently obtained, refugee status in Sweden.

In a rare conversation they had after he left Trollhattan where the suspect in the attack lived, the latter told her he lived “in a church” in France.

“I don’t have much news anymore, he seemed very fleeting. He called me four months ago, he was living in a church. But I don’t know much more, he was in contact mainly with his family who lives in the United States,” explained the young woman who is also from a middle eastern country.

Many Syrians, including several Christians, took refuge in Sweden when they left to escape the war in their country that broke out in 2011.

Judging that the number of arrivals was too high, the Swedish government of the time had tightened the conditions for granting asylum shortly after the migration/refugee crisis of 2015.