(Photo : OLIVIER CHASSIGNOLE/AFP via Getty Images)
UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly confirmed one of the injured children was a 3-year-old British girl.

A Syrian refugee has been arrested after he stabbed four children and an elderly man at a park in the town of Annecy in France Thursday morning. The old man and two of the children are in critical condition.

According to police, the 31-year-old man, whose name has not been revealed by police, allegedly applied for refugee status in France despite already having a refugee status in Sweden and settled alongside his wife and a three-year-old child before getting a divorce.

Macron Express Shock About Anncey Knife Attack

A video of the attack was uploaded on social media, showing the man attacking the children, aged 22 months and three years, while allegedly saying the name of Jesus Christ. One of the children was stabbed while in a baby stroller.

Afterward, the attacker was chased by a member of the public who attempted to stop the attacker before the police intervened. He had a backpack for protection or parrying the attacker's knife hand. Police responded a few minutes later and arrested the attacker after shooting his leg.

In response to the attack, French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted that the nation was "in shock." "An attack of absolute cowardice happened this morning in a park in Annecy," he wrote on Twitter. "Children and an adult are between life and death. The Nation is in shock. Our thoughts are with them and their families as emergency services are being mobilized."

The French National Assembly interrupted their regular session to observe silence. "Nothing is more abominable than to attack children," said National Assembly speaker Yael Braun-Pivet on Twitter.

Meanwhile, French prime minister Elisabeth Borne and interior minister Gérald Darmanin went to the attack scene. Borne told the press the attacker had no criminal or psychiatric record before the crime. She also said the attack was not related to terrorism at this time.

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Attacker's Obscure Past

Local media also interviewed the attacker's ex-wife, who revealed he allegedly was a Christian.

"He does not call me for four months. [Our relationship] stopped because we lived in Sweden, and he did not want to live in Sweden anymore," she said, adding the attacker had not previously shown a violent streak.

However, Swedish court documents seen by Reuters revealed the attacker was previously fined for fraud in Sweden in 2022 for claiming unemployment and student benefits simultaneously.

It was later revealed that one of the injured children in the attack was a three-year-old British national and was the oldest of the children who were stabbed. Another child was identified as Dutch.

British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, who was currently in Paris for the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OCED) meeting, confirmed the identity of the young British girl, saying British consular officers would travel to France "to support the family" of the injured child. "We stand in strong solidarity with the people of France at this terrible time," he added.

Meanwhile, British prime minister Rishi Sunak, who was wrapping up his US trip, said he has talked with Macron about the matter and would "stand ready to offer any assistance" if needed.

Related Article: Syrian Refugee Stabs Several People in French Town Knife Attack