The chief of the Annecy Film Festival, Mickael Marin, has addressed the tragic knife attack that injured five people, including four children, on Thursday morning (June 8) at the playground of a busy lakeside park, just days before the start of the international animation film festival.
“We are all shocked here. So far, the only thing that I can say is that we really hope that kids and other people injured will be fine. Of course, we will do something (to express our solidarity). For the time being, the only thing that we can do is to pray for the people who were attacked,” Marin told Variety.
Two children and one adult are severely injured, according to France Info. The suspect, arrested by police shortly after the attack, is a Syrian refugee who applied for asylum in France and eventually got it from Sweden in April, according to local reports. France’s anti-terrorist prosecutors office hasn’t yet been seized.
France’s political leaders immediately reacted to the attack on social media, including the Prime Minister, Elisabeth Borne, and the interior minister, Gérald Darmanin, who are due to travel to Annecy today.
While the peaceful city of Annecy is in a state of shock, it’s expected to host more than 14,000 guests, a record, for its animation film festival which kicks off on Sunday.
More to come.