• France Four children and two adults injured after being stabbed in an attack in the French city of Annecy

Slender figure, black t-shirt, large backpack on his back and a small one in his hand. His name is Henri, although everyone already calls him "the hero of the backpack". On Thursday morning I was walking 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, screaming, hunting for children. Henri did not hesitate. He got out behind the assailant and tried to push 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 yesterday's brutal knife attack in Annecy, at the foot of the Alps, from leaving more victims. There are four children between two and three years injured, two seriously, and also two adults, one of them a 78-year-old man, also serious.

Multiple stabbing in Annecy (France).THE WORLD

In the video of the moment of the aggression that has been disseminated in networks and that recorded a witness, it is seen how the aggressor, a refugee of Syrian origin of 31 years, 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 out behind him to prevent him from fleeing. 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 succeed," the 24-year-old, who is touring religious heritage in France, said on his Instagram on Thursday. He 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 tells his religious pilgrimage through videos and photos of the places where he stops. His journey is detailed on a website, as well as on TikTok, Facebook on Instagram. His account is called 'Le chant du cathédral'.

On Thursday, the Annecy prosecutor mentioned him and others who also tried to protect the children and try to neutralize the attacker at the press conference she gave after the attack. Although Henri's story, very visible in the video, has been the most praised. In the comments and publications, there are those who ask that he be awarded the Order of Merit. In his networks, he claims to have already given a statement to the police to give his testimony.

Annecy has dawned 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 the adult seriously injured in the attack remain hospitalized. There are two whose lives are still in danger, as confirmed this morning by the Government spokesman, Olivier Verán.

The detainee, 31, is still in police custody, was questioned yesterday and at the moment the motives that led him to commit the attack are unknown. He had sought asylum in several countries, including France, despite already having refugee status in Sweden, where he had lived for several years. France had denied it only a few days before committing the attack.

French President Emmanuel Macron will travel to the area this morning to be with the victims. "After yesterday's attack, the President of the Republic and his wife will be at the side of the victims and their families as well as all the people in Annecy who have contributed to provide their support and help," the Elysee announced.

While this town until yesterday peaceful and quiet now begins its mourning process after the attack, the hero of Annecy will continue to travel with his backpack the cathedrals of France.

  • France
  • Emmanuel Macron
  • Articles Raquel Villaécija

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