Reuters. Residents of the French town of Annecy expressed fear and anger on Thursday (June 8) in the aftermath of a knife attack that left two children and an adult in a critical condition.
Two other children were injured when a Syrian national attacked them in the southeastern, French town, police said.
The attacker has legal refugee status in France, a police official told Reuters. He was not known to security agencies and his motives were unclear, an investigative source said.
"Of course, there's fright, because we never thought this could be possible, in such a calm, peaceful environment as Annecy," pensioner Dominique Griziaux told Reuters.
"We put ourselves in the shoes of the parents or grandparents who are living through this tragic event, seeing children get attacked with a knife is absolutely unthinkable."
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said on Twitter that the attacker had been arrested. BFM TV showed footage of several policemen overpowering an individual in the park.
Two children and one adult were in life-threatening condition, while two children were slightly hurt, police said.
The wounded children were aged between 22 months and 3 years, they said.
Witnesses said at least one of the children wounded in the attack was in a pushchair. The incident took place at around 0745 GMT in the playground of a picturesque lakeside park in Annecy, a town in the French Alps.
"It's unfortunate that this is happening in Annecy, but this could happen anywhere, so the government should do their jobs at one point when it comes to security," said Stella, a local resident who refused to give her last name.
France has been shocked by a number of violent incidents over the past few months, including the fatal stabbing last month of a nurse in the northern town of Reims. Also last month, a drunk driver accidentally killed three policemen.
