British girl stabbed in France was on holiday

A three-year-old British girl who was stabbed during a knife attack in France was on holiday in the area at the time.

She was one of four children injured in the attack in a playground in Annecy in the French Alps.

The knifeman attacked the group of children – aged between 22 months and three years – and two adults yesterday.

French interior minister Gerald Darmanin said the suspect, a 31-year-old Syrian man, had tried to claim asylum in France but it was refused on Sunday because he had previously been granted asylum in Sweden 10 years ago.

The British girl was taken to hospital in Grenoble, a city around an hour-and-a-half from Annecy by car.

French president travels to Annecy

French President Emmanuel Macron travelled to the Alps on Friday to meet families and witnesses who have been left traumatised by the attack, his office said.

Mr Macron and his wife Brigitte flew to Grenoble where they met three of the children injured in the attack before heading to Annecy.

French prime minister Elisabeth Borne confirmed all four children underwent surgery and “are under constant medical surveillance”.

Ms Borne also confirmed all four children are in a stable condition in hospital.

The public prosecutor of Annecy confirmed the suspect’s custody had been extended on Friday morning.

Translated to English, a tweet said: “Stab attack in Annecy. The defendant’s custody is extended. No other communication planned for this day in the state.”

Tributes left for attack victims

Tearful well-wishers have visited the playground where the children were stabbed.

Flowers and messages were laid at the scene, with messages including “Love Annecy”, and “Children I don’t know you but in this hour you are fighting”.

A British mother of two, Katie Jackson, 39, was in tears as she said her son had asked to visit the park on the day of the attack.

Ms Jackson moved to the town three years ago with her husband. She has two sons, Rudy, five, and Vinnie, nine months.

She said: “Locally we call this the pirate playground, because it has a pirate ship in it, it’s a place that our kids know and love.

“It was my son’s fifth birthday yesterday and he had mentioned he would be interested in going to the pirate place, but he was at school.

“It’s a local treasure, that’s why it’s so shocking. I don’t know anyone who hasn’t visited the pirate playground.”

Suspect had asylum in Sweden

The Swedish Migration Agency has confirmed the suspect was granted permanent residency in 2013 and although the agency did not identify him, it said he subsequently sought Swedish citizenship in 2017 and 2018, both denied, and applied again in August last year.

Mr Darmanin said the suspect entered France legally, adding: “For some reasons we don’t really understand, he applied for asylum in Switzerland, in Italy and in France, which he didn’t need to do as he already had asylum in Sweden for the past 10 years.”

Local prosecutor Line Bonnet-Mathis said one of the adults was seriously injured by both a knife wound from the attacker and a bullet wound from police as officers shot at the knifeman while trying to detain him.

Witnesses said the knifeman shouted “in the name of Jesus Christ” as he launched the attack, including stabbing a child in a pushchair repeatedly as bystanders screamed for help.

Ms Bonnet-Mathis told a press conference on Thursday afternoon the attacker’s motives were unclear, but they did not appear to be related to terrorism.

Rishi Sunak: "An unfathomable attack"

Speaking at a press conference at the White House on Thursday evening alongside US President Joe Biden, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak described the attack as “unfathomable”.

He said: “All our thoughts are with those who were affected in this unfathomable attack, including a British child, and their families.

“I have been in touch with President Macron. We stand ready to offer any assistance that we can.”

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