A former Liverpool FC player witnessed a horror knife attack in France that has left several children fighting for their lives.
An attacker with a knife has stabbed several young children and at least one adult, leaving some fighting for life. This has been confirmed by France's interior minister Gerald Darmanin, who said the attack happened in a square in the lakeside Alpine town of Annecy.
In a short tweet, he said police have detained the alleged attacker. He said: “Several people including children have been injured by an individual armed with a knife in a square in Annecy."
French President Emmanuel Macron said “children and an adult are between life and death” and described the attack as 'absolute cowardice.' The BBC reports that six people - including four children - have been injured in the attack.
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One person who witnessed part of the attack is former Liverpool player Anthony Le Tallec. Speaking on a video on Instagram he said he was running by the lake in Annecy and saw people running towards him telling him to escape as they had seen the knifeman attacking children.
The former Reds footballer said the suspect then appeared in front of him as he was being chased by police. He added: "He came near me, so I moved, I moved away. I see him go towards a grandma and a grandpa and he attacked the grandpa."
Le Tallec added: "I said to the cops, shoot him, kill him. He attacked one, twice and then they started to shoot him."
The attacker was shot in the legs by police before being arrested.
A man told broadcaster BFMTV he saw first aiders working on “little bodies, three or four years old, perhaps”.
Local politician Antoine Armand said the children were attacked on a playground near a primary school. Speaking to BFMTV from the National Assembly building in Paris, he said the victims include “very young” children who were “savagely attacked”.
An Interior Ministry official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he is not authorised to speak about the developing situation, said four children and two adults have been hurt. He said that number could change because the full details are not yet clear.
Police also said four children are among the injured, with two suffering life-threatening injuries and two escaping with minor injuries. One adult also suffered life-threatening injuries, the force said while also warning of an evolving situation.
In Paris, politicians interrupted a debate to hold a moment of silence for the victims.
The assembly president, Yael Braun-Pivet, said: “There are some very young children who are in critical condition and I invite you to respect a minute of silence for them, for their families, and so that, we hope, the consequences of this very grave attack do not lead to the nation grieving.”
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s “thoughts and sympathies” are with those impacted by the attack. A spokesman for Mr Sunak, who is on a visit to the US, told reporters in Westminster: “Obviously, it is a matter that I believe the French authorities are working on, it is a live matter that they are working through now. The Prime Minister’s thoughts and sympathies will be with all those who have been affected.”
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