What do we know about France stabbing attacker?

International media outlets revealed new information about the Syrian attacker who carried out a knife attack targeting children on Thursday in France.

Here is what we know about the attacker :

Media said the attacker, Abdel-Masih Hanoun, 32, suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder after being involved in the war in Syria.

Media outlets also reported news that Hanoun left his wife and their three-year-old daughter eight months ago, after his application for Swedish citizenship was rejected.

In addition, the information indicates that the perpetrator had separated from his Swedish wife, who in turn had previously alerted the French and Swiss authorities about his behavior, about eight months before the attack.

Attaque au couteau à Annecy: quand l’ex-femme de l’assaillant apprend les faits de son ancien mari pic.twitter.com/xfHPzwlHO4

— BFMTV (@BFMTV) June 8, 2023

Information suggested that during his national service in 2012, Hanoun and his unit were attacked by a group described as extremist, and he was the only one who survived.

Soon after, he fled to Turkey and spent time in a refugee camp before reaching Sweden.

The motive behind the his actions remains unclear, especially with no clear evidence of terrorism.

Hanoun, who had been residing in Annecy without a fixed address since the fall of 2022, was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol during the attack.

Earlier, the French authorities announced that seven people, including six children, were injured in a stabbing attack that took place in the city of Annecy in the French Alps.

AFP reported, quoting a French official, that a man armed with a knife attacked a group of children aged about three years at 9:45 am (0745 GMT) on Thursday in a park near the lake in the town.

Later, the authorities announced that the attacker had been arrested after the police had caught and shot him, injuring him in the legs.