President Macron visits the injured this morning, four children and one adult, all seriously ill
Slender figure, black T-shirt, large backpack on her back and a small one in her hand. His name is Henri, although everyone already calls him “the hero with the backpack”. On Thursday morning he was strolling through Le Paquier, the idyllic park with meadows and a lake in the alpine town of Annecy, when a man with a headscarf and a knife in his hand burst into the garden, shouting, hunting for children. Henri didn’t hesitate. He went after the attacker and tried to drive him away with his only weapon: his backpack..
The heroic behavior of this young man, who is not from the town and was passing through, prevented the brutal knife attack yesterday in Annecy, at the foot of the Alps, from leaving more victims. There are four children between two and three years old injuredtwo serious, and also two adults, one of them a 78-year-old man, also serious.
In the video of the moment of the attack that has been broadcast online and recorded by a witness, you can see how the attacker, a 31-year-old refugee of Syrian origin, turns towards the young man several times and in one of them tries to reach him with the knife, but he protects himself with another small backpack that he carries in his hand. In the end, when he manages to get him out of the playground where he had already assaulted several children, he gets rid of the backpack he carries on his back to be more agile and goes after him to prevent him from running away. The police arrest the assailant a couple of minutes later.
“Thank you for the messages of support. I am thinking particularly of the victims and their parents. I hope they get ahead“This 24-year-old, who is touring the religious heritage in France, pointed out on Thursday on his Instagram. I started a tour of the country’s cathedrals a few months ago and had just been in Grenoble, before arriving in Annecy.
This young man recounts his religious pilgrimage through videos and photos of the places where he stops. His journey is detailing it on a website, as well as on TikTok, Facebook on Instagram. His account is called ‘Le chant du cathdral’.
On Thursday, the Annecy prosecutor mentioned him at the press conference she gave after the attack, and other people who also tried to protect the children and try to neutralize the attacker. Although Henri’s story, very visible in the video, has been the most praised. In comments and posts, there are those who ask to be awarded the Order of Merit. In his networks, he claims to have already given a statement to the police to testify about him.
Annecy has woken up in shock, the sun no longer looks the same in the park by the lake, where flowers and messages of support for the victims are seen. The four children and one adult seriously injured in the attack remain hospitalized. There are two whose lives are still in dangeras confirmed this morning by the government spokesman, Olivier Vern.
The 31-year-old detainee is still in police custody, yesterday he was questioned and for now The reasons that led him to commit the attack are unknown. He had requested asylum in several countries, one of them France, despite already having refugee status in Sweden, where he had lived for several years. France had refused him only a few days before committing the attack.
The French president, Emmanuel Macron, is going to travel to the area this morning to be with the victims. “Following yesterday’s attack, the President of the Republic and his wife will be next to the victims and their families today, as well as all the people in Annecy who have contributed to their support and help,” announces the Elseo.
Meanwhile, this peaceful and quiet town until yesterday is now beginning its mourning process after the attack, the hero of Annecy will continue touring the cathedrals of France with his backpack.
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