Knife attacker injures several people, including children, in French Alpine town

Paris: An attacker with a knife injured children and others in a town in the Alps on Thursday before he was quickly arrested.

A total of seven people including six children have been injured in a mass stabbing in the town of Annecy in the French Alps, security sources told Agence France-Presse (AFP).

A man armed with a knife attacked a group of children aged around three years old at 9:45 am Paris time on Thursday at a park near the lake in the town.

France's interior minister Gerald Darmanin said the attack took place in a square in the town of Annecy. In a short tweet, he said police have detained the attacker.

"Several people including children have been injured by an individual armed with a knife in a square in Annecy," he tweeted.

Plusieurs personnes dont des enfants ont été blessés par un individu armé d’un couteau dans un square à Annecy. L’individu a été interpellé grâce à l’intervention très rapide des forces de l’ordre.

— Gérald DARMANIN (@GDarmanin) June 8, 2023

A local lawmaker, Antoine Armand, tweeted that children were attacked on a playground. He called the attack "abominable."

Attaque abominable au couteau sur des enfants dans une aire de jeu à Annecy. Nous n’en savons encore que très peu mais tout mon soutien aux victimes, aux proches, aux forces de l’ordre et secours. Avec vous en pensée.

— Antoine Armand (@antoine_armand) June 8, 2023

In Paris, lawmakers interrupted a debate to hold a moment of silence for the victims, BFMTV reported. (With inputs from AP)