France knife attack suspect charged with 'attempted murder'

By Esra Taskin

PARIS (AA) - The suspect of the recent knife attack that left six people wounded in the French Alpine town of Annecy has been charged with “attempted murder,” the regional prosecutor said on Saturday.

In a news conference, Annecy Public Prosecutor Line Bonnet-Mathis said that the suspect, named Abdelmasih H., appeared before two investigating judges in the morning.

Bonnet-Mathis said that the suspect refused to speak to the judges.

She said that people injured in the attack are no longer in life-threatening condition and that the four injured children are still in the hospital.

The prosecutor stated that no alcohol or drugs were found in the suspect's blood, and at the time of his detention, the suspect had a gun, two pictures related to the Christian religion, one cross necklace, €480 ($516), and a Swedish driver's license.

She said the psychiatrist who examined Abdelmasih H. concluded that there was no obstacle for the suspect to testify, but it is too early to determine whether he had a psychiatric pathology.

The suspect is married and has one child, she added.

On Thursday, four children and two adults were injured in a knife attack on a playground in Annecy.

French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne in a news conference said that the assailant is a Syrian refugee who has been living in Sweden for 10 years, and also sought asylum in France, in vain, where he is a homeless individual.

Borne further said the suspect has no police records.

She also noted that there are no apparent terrorist motives in the attack.

The injured included a 22-month-old child, two 2-year-old toddlers, and a 3-year-old toddler. Two of the children were tourists -- a Dutch and a British.