Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Kelly-Ann Mills

France knifeman named as Abdalmasih H by cops after stabbing children in playground

‌A man who attacked four children in a park in France, including a three-year-old British girl, has been named by police.

Investigators say he is 32-year-old Abdalmasih H, who was pictured at the time of the attack wearing shorts, sunglasses and a scarf around his head.

At 9.45am local time (8.25am BST) a lone knifeman rushed a playground and started his attack on children in a lakeside park near in the town of Annecy.

Six people were injured in the attack, including four children.

One witness claims the suspect spoke in English before the stabbing frenzy, which saw him wield a blade at a youngster in a pram.

Another eyewitness who spoke to broadcaster BFMTV said he saw first-aiders working on "little bodies".

Local public prosecutor Line Bonnet-Mathias confirmed the youngest of the child victims was 22 months old, two were aged two, and the other was a three-year-old British girl.

The 22-month-old child is fighting for their life in hospital, according to French authorities.

Distressing footage from the scene shows the attacker taking his knife to a child in a buggy, where an adult woman attempts to intervene before he makes multiple stabbing motions.

She then pushes him away before she rushes over to look inside the pram. The attacker is later seen in the same clip being chased by an adult male, where play equipment including a slide and a rope climbing wall are visible behind him.

Eyewitnesses said members of the public had yelled and pleaded with officers to shoot the suspect as he carried out the stabbings.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly confirmed that a British child was amongst those injured during the shocking attack.

He tweeted: "The attack in Annecy today, injuring young children, was an act of cowardice.

"We're ready to support in whatever way we can."

Abdalmasih, a Syrian refugee, has been named by police as the man arrested at the scene.

He is believe to be married to a Swedish woman and they share a young child together.

Abdalmasih entered France in November 2022 and declared asylum before his case was declared 'inadmissible' (AFP via Getty Images)

French media is reporting Abdalmasih came to the country in November 2022 and declared asylum.

He case was declared "inadmissible" just days ago.

Describing how the attack started, an eye witness named Ferdinand told BFM TV: "He jumped (in the playground), started shouting and then went towards the strollers, repeatedly hitting the little ones with a knife."

Another witness, who asked not to be named, said: "The man was shouting in English, and caused absolute panic when he started attacking the little ones.

"He wanted to hurt as many people as he could. He caused carnage. The young children were just easy targets."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.