Aurélien Tillier
Reporting from Paris

As soon as it was known that the attacker was a Syrian man, politicians on France's right and far-right began to call for a tougher immigration policy.

“After the tragedy in Annecy, our entire migration policy and a number of European rules need to be called into question,” tweeted Jordan Bardella, president of the National Rally.

The president of the right-wing party Les Républicains, Eric Ciotti, also spoke early on - immediately referring to a “terrorist act” that should “open up a major debate on our ability to choose who we do or do not want in our country”. A terrorist motive was ruled out by the authorities yesterday.

Government spokesperson Olivier Véran responded this morning, saying answers would "be given when we have them". But he added: "I don't understand why some people are playing a sick game of explanations."

These comments come as immigration continues to be widely debated in France, and the government struggles to draft a new law.

Lucy Williamson
Paris correspondent, in Annecy

Prosecutors are still trying to work out the motive for this attack.

They have said that the suspect - a Syrian man with refugee status in Sweden - has no recorded history of psychiatric illness, but there are growing questions about his current mental state.

He is thought to have been living, homeless, in Annecy since last autumn, after leaving his ex-wife and three-year-old child in Sweden.

France’s interior minister says the suspect's claim for asylum in France was rejected a few days ago.

He is due to have a psychiatric assessment today.

As the town of Annecy tries to recover from this attack, some residents and tourists have been speaking to reporters about the effect it's had on them.

Audrey Neyrer, who's visiting the Alpine region with her daughter, says she knows the park where the stabbings took place well: "We are thinking of the children... our only hope is that they'll make it through," she tells Reuters news agency.

Her daughter Camille adds that it's "scary" to think they could've been at the park at the time of the attack on Thursday morning.

Image source, Reuters

Meanwhile, bakery worker Antoine Rigollot says what happened has come as a shock to the local community of "mostly families". "Nothing really happens here... there's [usually] a good vibe," she tells Reuters.

"We would never have imagined something so cruel could happen here," she says.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, French pool/EVN

President Macron has now left Grenoble hospital where he visited some of the young victims of yesterday's attack. He is now on his way to Annecy, French media report.

Henri, the 24 year-old who has been dubbed the "hero with the backpack" by French media after he tried to thwart the knifeman on Thursday, is due to meet President Macron later today in Annecy, the Elysée palace is quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.

"It should happen in the afternoon," the student said on BFMTV.

The Annecy prosecutor has announced on Twitter, external that the custody of the suspect in Thursday's knife attack has been extended.

This post contains details some readers may find distressing

One of the adult victims of yesterday's rampage in Annecy has been speaking to Reuters.

Youssouf, 78, says he was sitting on a bench when he was approached by the knifeman - who was being followed by people.

He was "injured slightly" on the arm when the attacker slashed at him - and was then treated by the fire brigade and paramedics.

Youssouf says there was "no reason" for the attack. He says he's "calm" but "can imagine the stress of family of the children and their loved ones or other children who saw the incident".

He did not witness the attacks on young children, which he describes as "terrible".

We have more on the young British victim caught up in yesterday's attack.

Reports say she's a three-year old girl who was taken to hospital in Grenoble after being attacked.

She's also said to have been on holiday in the area at the time of the attack. We await further comment from the UK's Foreign Office.

As we've reported, French PM Elisabeth Borne said all children had been operated on and were in a stable condition.

French TV channel BFMTV published an interview , externallast night with a woman who identified herself as the assailant's ex-wife in Sweden.

She said the man came from the Syrian city of al-Hassake, and that they met while studying for nursing degrees in Turkey five years ago.

The woman also said they lived together in Sweden, where their daughter was born three years ago - but that they separated when he decided to move to France in 2022.

The woman described the assailant as a "kind" man who "took care" of their daughter.

She also said that she hadn't heard from him in several months. The AFP news agency also said it had spoken to the attacker's ex-wife, who said the man left Sweden because he had been unable to get Swedish nationality.

Speaking in Salon-De-Provence, Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne said that the four children had "all been operated on, are under continuous observation and are stable".

"This is still an emotional time, we are still caring for these little children, and I invite everyone to show dignity under the circumstances," Borne said.

Image source, AFP

A short time ago, President Macron arrived at the hospital in Grenoble to visit the victims of the knife attack.

He and his wife Brigitte will also head to Annecy itself today.

All four children injured in yesterday's attack have now been operated on and are stable, Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne has said, external.

It's worth noting that in the last update from the French government earlier this morning, two of the children were said to still be in a critical condition.

We'll keep bringing you the latest as we get it.

Hugh Schofield
Paris correspondent

A have-a-go hero who tried to thwart the knifeman on Thursday was the subject of a local newspaper article just a few days beforehand, because he is undertaking a pilgrimage around France.

Henri, a 24 year-old management graduate, is on a nine-month tour of French cathedrals, and was interviewed in Grenoble by the Dauphiné Libéré.

In the article, external, he said his rule was to knock on random doors near the cathedrals in order to find lodgings. “It forces you to open up to people. The encounters are all the more lovely,” he said.

On Thursday, Henri happened to be in Annecy and at the park where the attack took place. He used his backpack to try to block the attacker, then chased him till he was caught by police.

Plaudits and messages of thanks have flooded social media. Henri wrote on social media: “Pray for the children. Me, I’m fine.”

The morning after yesterday's attack, some residents of Annecy have headed to the playground to pay their respects.

Flowers, candles, notes and teddy bears have been left at the side of the area where four children were stabbed - some in their pushchairs.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, PA Media

Image source, PA Media

Hugh Schofield
Paris correspondent

We know that the suspected knifeman in yesterday's attack is a Christian Syrian who came to Europe 10 years ago.

He had arrived in France after recently divorcing and left behind a three-year-old child in Sweden.

In France, he had applied for refugee status - something he already had in Sweden. The French request was turned down just a few days ago.

As Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said, the coincidence is a "troubling" one. Just days after he'd had his request turned down, he did what he did.

He'd been seen near the playground in recent days, staring out at the lake, muttering to himself and twitching his leg.

The usually-tranquil town in which this attack took place is in the south-east of France, and is nicknamed the Pearl of the French Alps.

Close to the Swiss and Italian borders with France, Annecy is home to less than 140,000 people. It's traditionally popular with tourists for its old town, cobbled streets and picturesque views.

Our visual journalism colleagues made the map below, outlining where yesterday's knife attack took place - at a park near the lake.

Image source, .

Lucy Williamson
Paris correspondent, in Annecy

Image source, Reuters

There's a growing pile of candles, flowers and soft toys being left at the scene of the knife attack in Annecy this morning, as a steady stream of local people come by.

The focus here is shifting to the reason behind the attack.

Prosecutors haven't come up with any clear motive yet. They're not currently treating it as a terror-related incident, and the suspected knifeman wasn't known to intelligence services.

He also wasn't known to have a history of psychiatric illness. But there are questions around his mental state. He was thought to be homeless, having recently divorced, and made an application for asylum in France that was denied just a few days ago because he already had refugee status in Sweden.

French President Emmanuel Macron has arrived in the city of Grenoble, according to the AFP news agency.

Some of the injured children were sent to hospital there after the attack yesterday - while others went to Geneva in Switzerland.

Image source, EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, will visit the victims of yesterday's knife attack and their families today, the French presidency has said.

They will also meet those who were part of the response effort after the attack, a statement adds.

Yesterday, President Macron said, external "the whole nation is shocked" following the attack.

Here's what you need to know about the knife attack that took place yesterday in Annecy, a small Alpine French town.

• Four young children and two adults were injured after a man carrying a knife launched an attack in a playground on Thursday morning

• Footage showed the suspect, who police said is a 31-year-old Syrian national, running around the park before being chased away
• Soon after the attack, the suspect was shot in the legs and arrested by police
• Authorities said there was no evidence of a link to terrorism - and no indication of what his motive was
• The man has no criminal or psychiatric record, according to French Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne, who visited Annecy yesterday
• The man, who had refugee status in Sweden, recently came to France, leaving behind a wife and three-year-old daughter who is the same age as one of the injured children
• All the injured children, aged between one and three, are being treated in hospital
• One of them was confirmed as a British national on Thursday, while another is Dutch