Henri, the "backpack hero" who faced the Annecy assailant
"Pray for the children, I'm fine," asks Henri, the "backpack hero", as he goes to the prefecture to be heard as a witness.
Thursday, June 8, around 9:30 a.m., a Syrian refugee armed with a knife sowed terror in a park in Annecy, the garden of Europe. We deplore 6 victims, including 4 young children.
[HEADLINE AT 18 p.m.] A Syrian refugee armed with a knife injured six people this morning, including four children aged 22 to 36 months, sowing terror in a park on the shores of Lake Annecy, an attack "without motive apparent terrorist", according to the first elements of the investigation #AFP 1/5 pic.twitter.com/dZjMAypUz7
- Agence France-Presse (@afpfr) June 8, 2023
Agence France Presse reports the first elements of the investigation according to which it would be an attack "without apparent terrorist motive".
"He is a Syrian who, in 2013, obtained asylum and a residence card in Sweden. Last Sunday, the notification was made to him that he could not have asylum in France, because he had in Sweden", explains Gérald Darmanin, Minister of the Interior and Overseas Territories, on Gilles Bouleau's set.
"He was regular on the national territory. Last Sunday, the police checked this person who washed himself in Lake Annecy since he would be homeless", he continues.
On social networks, videos of the attack are circulating. We see a man trying to intervene with the assailant in the park on several occasions, now called the "hero with a backpack" by Internet users. This is Henri, a Christian who is currently making a tour of France's cathedrals.
In his story on his Facebook account The Song of the Cathedrals, Henri immediately called for a "union of prayers for the victims of the Annecy attack".
Then he went to the prefecture to be heard as a witness. "Pray for the children, I'm fine," he said.
On social networks, messages of thanks are multiplying.
You, Henri, 24, who intervened this morning in Annecy in front of the killer and his knife, risking your life, to try to protect the children, you are a hero and the whole of France says to you: THANK YOU . pic.twitter.com/5Uf5ZlEKX8
— Hugo Clement (@hugoclement) June 8, 2023
Henri is 24 years old, he makes the tour of France of the cathedrals. Passing through Annecy, he crossed the Pâquier this morning and found himself face to face with an assailant attacking children.
- Verlaine (@__Verlaine__) June 8, 2023
Henri will then take all the risks and his intervention will make it possible to avoid the worst.
Thanks to this… pic.twitter.com/bKMspjR5Mg
It was Henri d'A., 24, a Catholic pilgrim, former scout leader of Europe, who defended the children attacked with a knife in the playground in downtown Annecy. pic.twitter.com/B7nG8xyxLv
— Jean Bexon (@jean_bexon) June 8, 2023
"Thank you for all your messages of support," said the "backpack hero" in story before adding, "I think especially of the victims and their parents. I hope they will get out of this".
MC
