Two of four children who were injured by yesterday’s knife attack in Annecy, in eastern Franceare still in critical situationthe French government spokesman said today Olivier Veranshortly before the visit that the president is scheduled to make today Emmanuel Macron in town to be on the side of the victims.

“As far as I know, two children are still considered to be in an absolutely critical condition.”Veran told French public radio station franceinfo.

The prosecutor’s office had announced yesterday afternoon that the state of health of the four children was considered “extremely sensitive”, adding that they were still “in an absolutely critical condition”.

Four very young children, aged 22 to 36 months, were injured in the attack, including one from Britain and one from the Netherlands. These were transported to hospitals in Geneva and Grenoble after receiving first aid on the spot.

An adult was also taken to the hospital after being injured by the assailant and then by police fire during the arrest of the suspect, and another adult suffered minor injuries.

The French president goes to Annecy

The French president will travel today with his wife to Annecy to be by the side of the victims of yesterday’s knife attack, the Elysee Palace announced.

“After yesterday’s attack, the President of the Republic and his wife will be today at the side of the victims and their families as well as all the people in Annecy who helped give them help and support,” the French presidency said in its statement.

Prime Minister Elizabeth Bourne and Interior Minister Gerald Darmanen had already traveled to Annecy yesterday, Thursday, while the whole country is in shock after the knife attack at a playground in a busy lakeside park in the city.

Motives of the attack

The motives of the perpetrator, who spent the night in police custody and may remain in custody for up to 48 hoursare still unclear so far, while “there is no apparent terrorist motive”according to the prosecution.

THE 31-year-old detained, a Syrian refugee, was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol, had no permanent residence and was in Annecy as of autumn 2022.

This morning will undergo a psychiatric examination in an attempt to clarify the motives of his attack, Minister of the Interior Darmanen clarified in statements he made to TF1 last night.

“The ongoing investigation will make it possible to clarify his motives,” Annecy’s prosecutor, Lynn Bonet-Matis, said at a press conference yesterday, during which she added that “an act of insanity cannot be ruled out at this stage.” “.

Abdelmasih X., a Syrian citizen, received asylum in Sweden in 2013, where he lived for 10 years. “He failed to get Swedish citizenship and therefore decided to leave the country. We separated because I didn’t want to leave Sweden,” his ex-wife told AFP yesterday.

The suspect, who is the father of a 3-year-old child, had legal documents when he arrived in France a few months ago. In a new request for asylum that he filed in France in November 2022, he declared himself a “Syrian Christian”, according to a police source. He was wearing a cross when he was arrested.

According to Darmanen, the French authorities informed him last Sunday, June 4, that he could not be granted asylum in France because he had already received asylum in Sweden. Asked if there was a possible connection between this refusal and the suspect’s act, Darmanen said it was a “disturbing coincidence”.

The suspect suffered from “severe depression”, his mother, who has lived in the US for 10 years, told AFP at the same time. According to her, the Swedish authorities’ refusal to grant him citizenship “made him rather crazy”.

This attack caused a flurry of reactions from the French political world, with right-wing and far-right MPs highlighting the origin and status of the attacker.

President Macron, for his part, condemned an “attack of absolute cowardice” and noted that “the nation is in a state of shock.”