Annecy attack - children remain critical

Four children aged between 22 months and three years old are being treated for their injuries after being attacked by a knifeman in Annecy yesterday afternoon. They’re in a critical condition.

The attacker has been identified as a 32-year-old Syrian refugee who’d been given asylum in Sweden 10 years ago. 

It’s also being reported he had been offered asylum in Switzerland, but his request for asylum in France had been turned down. 

One of the children, a 22 month old girl, was airlifted to Geneva for treatment. 

The French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne and the Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin travelled to Annecy to assess the situation. 

The man’s former wife – they divorced a few months ago – is in shock. She told the press that he was ‘very nice’. 

She also said he was refused Swedish nationality and wanted to leave the country. She didn’t. 

Prosecutors have confirmed a man is being charged with the attempted murder of children. He remains in custody. Police say they don’t believe it was a terrorist attack. 

More from Bitesize News

  • Geneva could foot the G7 bill

    Geneva fears it will be left with the security bill from a G7 summit just across the border in Évian, according to 24 heures.

  • US NGO discovers Swiss child abuse cases

    Switzerland relies too heavily on an American NGO to detect child sexual abuse online, raising questions about the country's ability to protect children on its own.

  • French singer banned by Paleo

    The Paléo Festival in Nyon says it will no longer invite French singer Patrick Bruel, after a former volunteer accused him of inappropriate behaviour.

  • Cars going uninspected

    The cantons are struggling to keep up with mandatory vehicle inspections, leaving more than 550,000 checks overdue nationwide.

  • War may lead to rent rises

    Rents may rise again, says the bank Raiffeisen.

  • Not a heatwave, yet

    Summer has arrived, with temperatures climbing past 30 over the long weekend. Basel reached 31 and Sion hit 32.4, but MeteoSwiss, says this does not yet count as an official heatwave.

Download our app

  • Available on the App Store
  • Available on Google Play