A man arrested on suspicion of stabbing toddlers as they played in a French park is a father with a child of the same age whose application for asylum in France was rejected days before the attack.
Abdelmasih Hanoun, 31, who is originally from Syria, was granted refugee status in Sweden 10 years ago, allegedly attacked four children, aged 22 months to three years, and two adults, aged 70 and 78.
The four children – one of whom is British and another Dutch – were attacked on Thursday. Two are in a stable condition and two remain critical, according to French government spokesman Olivier Veran. One of the adults remains in a critical condition.
The prosecutor in Annecy confirmed the detained man, who investigators describe as a “declared and devout Christian”, was of no fixed address and did not appear to have a "terrorist motive".
Officials said he was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol, was not known by any intelligence service and did not have "any history of psychiatric problems".
French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said the suspected attacker was granted asylum in Sweden. He had entered France legally, she said, and was carrying Swedish identity documents and a Swedish driving licence.
The Swedish Migration Agency confirmed he was granted permanent residency in 2013 and, although the agency did not identify the suspect, said he subsequently sought Swedish citizenship in 2017 and 2018, both denied, and applied again in August last year. It failed again.
He decided to travel to France after the latest rejection.
He had also sought asylum in Switzerland and Italy. The French application was rejected last Sunday as he already had refugee status in Sweden, officials said.
Security sources and his ex-wife told AFP he was recently divorced from a Swedish national. The prosecutor in Annecy, Line Bonnet-Mathis, said he has a child around the same age as the toddlers he targeted.
Reportedly originally from the Syrian town of Al-Hassake, Mr Hanoun had been training alongside his ex-wife to become a nurse, according to Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet.
The paper added he was convicted for illegally claiming benefits in Sweden, and was handed a suspended sentence and a fine.
Mr Hanoun reportedly separated from his ex-wife eight months ago and they had not spoken in four months.
A woman identifying herself as his ex-wife told French broadcaster BFM TV he had not previously demonstrated violent tendencies.
"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.
She added that her former partner was a Christian.
Annecy knife attack - in pictures
According to reports, the attacker was wearing a cross at the time of his arrest.
In a video, he can twice be heard saying: "In the name of Jesus Christ," in English.
Annecy, a scenic town in the French Alps, is close to the border of Switzerland.
The attack took place at Le Paquier park, a usually tranquil place popular with tourists for its stunning views of Lake Annecy and the mountains.
Witnesses told The Telegraph that a person matching Mr Hanoun’s description had been sleeping rough near the lake for the last two months.
Chaima Sahbi, 21, a tourism student, told the newspaper: “Who hasn’t seen him? He’s been hanging around this area for months sitting around and looking at his phone.”
An ice cream seller who works in the waterside park said he had also seen the alleged attacker there several days ago looking out at the lake.
A video of the attack posted on social media shows a man in dark glasses with a blue scarf covering his head brandishing a knife as people scream for help.
In the horrific scenes, he first circles the playground, slashing at a bystander, and then clambers over its barriers to attack people and children inside. He appears to stab one child in a pushchair repeatedly.
He slashes at a man carrying rucksacks who tried to approach him, apparently trying to stop the attack.
He was later detained by police near the banks of the lake.
On Thursday, speaking from Annecy near the scene of the attack, French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said: "These are very small children who were very seriously injured. As a parent and citizen, we are already very shocked."
French President Emmanuel Macron is due to travel to Annecy to visit the victims on Friday.
"Following yesterday's attack, the president of the republic and his spouse will today visit the victims and their families as well as everyone in Annecy who has contributed in helping and supporting them," a representative said.
