Man Faces 13 Attempted Murder Charges in French Alps Playground Attack

A man accused of a knife attack at a playground in the French Alps that injured a British toddler and 12 others will face trial on 13 counts of attempted murder, prosecutors announced.

Abdalmasih Hanoun is scheduled to stand trial within the next year at the Haute-Savoie Assize Court. He is also charged with attempted murder of 12 other individuals and armed resistance.

The alleged attack occurred in June 2023 in Le Paquier, a town in southeastern France. The British toddler, identified locally as three-year-old Ettie, was visiting the area with her parents. She sustained a single stab wound, but her condition was not life-threatening, according to French prosecutors.

Four children aged between 22 months and three years were wounded in the incident.

A panel of experts assessed Hanoun's mental state and determined that he was not suffering from a psychological or neuropsychological disorder that would have impaired his judgment or ability to control his actions at the time of the alleged attack.

French prosecutors released a translated statement detailing the indictment chamber's decision, which stated that Hanoun must answer charges of attempted murder for 13 victims and violence with a weapon against two victims, in addition to armed resistance. The chamber concluded that there were no grounds to dismiss the indictment against Hanoun.

The decision to proceed with the trial can be appealed at the French Court of Cassation.

Shortly after the incident, French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte visited the injured child and other victims in the hospital. They also traveled to the town where the attack took place.