France: The health of the preschool children who were seriously hurt in a mass knife attack by a Syrian refugee on Friday was "heading in the right direction," according to French President Emmanuel Macron, who made the comment as police questioned the attacker.
On Thursday, four kids between the ages of 22 months and 3 were stabbed in a playground in the Alpine town of Annecy, a typically idyllic lakeside destination well-liked by tourists.
While France was in disbelief over the horrifying attack, there was an outpouring of support on social media for the rescuers and a man who was hailed as a hero for chasing the attacker away.
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Although the rampage heightened tensions over immigration in France, prosecutors insisted they did not see a terrorist motive. Right-wing politicians capitalised on the situation.
Three of the children are receiving medical treatment in the city of Grenoble in the southeast, and Macron and his wife Brigitte have arrived there to visit those who have "contributed in helping and supporting them," according to the presidency.
After visiting the injured toddlers in the hospital, he said in Annecy, "Everything I was told is heading in the right direction," adding that the development was good.
After the visit, he continued, "Attacking children is the most barbaric act there is," but he also expressed his "pride" in the rescuers' work.
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The fourth child, a Dutch citizen, is being treated in Geneva's Swiss hospital. She is "out of danger," according to Wopke Hoekstra, the foreign minister of the Netherlands.
The other victims are French, and one of the victims is British. A man named Henri, who is being hailed as a hero for chasing the assailant from the playground, was also scheduled to meet with Macron.
As the hashtag #MerciHenri gained popularity on social media, he posted on Instagram, "Pray for the children, I am doing fine." The detention of the suspect, identified as Abdalmasih H., who is being investigated for attempted murder, had been increased following a psychiatric evaluation, according to regional prosecutor Line Bonnet-Mathis.
The suspect, who is in his early 30s, recently went through a divorce from a Swedish national, and had previously resided in Sweden for ten years, where he was given refugee status in April, according to security sources and his ex-wife.
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"About four months ago, he called. He was residing in a church, according to his ex-wife, who also claimed that he left Sweden because he was unable to obtain Swedish citizenship. Gerald Darmanin, the minister of the interior for France, said to the television station TF1 that "for reasons not well explained, he had also sought asylum in Switzerland, Italy, and France." As he already had refugee status in Sweden, it was discovered that his application in France had been denied last Sunday.