French Prosecutor: Syrian Knife Attack Suspect Placed in Detention

French Prosecutor Line Bonnet (R) and Judicial Police Director Damien Delaby (L) hold a press conference in Annecy on June 10, 2023. (Photo by JEAN-PHILIPPE KSIAZEK / AFP)
French Prosecutor Line Bonnet (R) and Judicial Police Director Damien Delaby (L) hold a press conference in Annecy on June 10, 2023. (Photo by JEAN-PHILIPPE KSIAZEK / AFP)
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French Prosecutor: Syrian Knife Attack Suspect Placed in Detention

French Prosecutor Line Bonnet (R) and Judicial Police Director Damien Delaby (L) hold a press conference in Annecy on June 10, 2023. (Photo by JEAN-PHILIPPE KSIAZEK / AFP)
French Prosecutor Line Bonnet (R) and Judicial Police Director Damien Delaby (L) hold a press conference in Annecy on June 10, 2023. (Photo by JEAN-PHILIPPE KSIAZEK / AFP)

The suspect in a knife attack in which four toddlers and two pensioners were wounded in the southeastern French town of Annecy on Thursday has been placed in detention, the local prosecutor said on Saturday.

The suspect, a Syrian refugee born in 1991, is under formal investigation for attempted murder and resisting arrest with a weapon, the prosecutor said.

The injured are no longer in critical condition, Annecy Prosecutor Line Bonnet-Mathis told a news conference, adding that the four children were still in hospital.

The suspect has chosen not to speak while in police custody and when presented before judges, the prosecutor said.

He was examined by a psychiatrist who considered that he was fit to be held in custody.

Drug and alcohol tests were negative.

"Presently it is premature to assess his motivations," Bonnet-Mathis said.

BFM television said the suspect was being held in solitary confinement at Aiton prison in the region of Savoie, some 80 km from Annecy.

The suspect was granted asylum in Sweden 10 years ago, having arrived from Türkiye. The prosecutor said the man was believed to be married with a young child.

He entered France in October 2022, having travelled through Italy and Switzerland, she said, adding that he had no police record in France and was thought to be homeless.

His request for asylum in France was refused on the grounds that Sweden had already approved one.



Türkiye Arrests 15 Over Deadly Fire at Ski Resort

Mourners carry the coffin of Vedia Nil Apak during the funeral of Ferda Apak and her daughter Vedia Nil Apak, killed in a huge fire in a ski resort hotel in Bolu, at Sakirin Mosque in Istanbul on January 23, 2025. (Photo by Yasin AKGUL / AFP)
Mourners carry the coffin of Vedia Nil Apak during the funeral of Ferda Apak and her daughter Vedia Nil Apak, killed in a huge fire in a ski resort hotel in Bolu, at Sakirin Mosque in Istanbul on January 23, 2025. (Photo by Yasin AKGUL / AFP)
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Türkiye Arrests 15 Over Deadly Fire at Ski Resort

Mourners carry the coffin of Vedia Nil Apak during the funeral of Ferda Apak and her daughter Vedia Nil Apak, killed in a huge fire in a ski resort hotel in Bolu, at Sakirin Mosque in Istanbul on January 23, 2025. (Photo by Yasin AKGUL / AFP)
Mourners carry the coffin of Vedia Nil Apak during the funeral of Ferda Apak and her daughter Vedia Nil Apak, killed in a huge fire in a ski resort hotel in Bolu, at Sakirin Mosque in Istanbul on January 23, 2025. (Photo by Yasin AKGUL / AFP)

Türkiye has arrested 15 people as part of an investigation into a fire that killed 78 people and injured dozens at a ski resort in the Bolu mountains earlier this week, state media reported on Sunday.

The tragedy has sparked calls for accountability and reform, and independent experts have said the Grand Kartal Hotel, at the Kartalkaya ski resort in western Türkiye, lacked basic fire safety measures.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that Türkiye 's judiciary was working to punish all those responsible for the incident. The hotel's management has pledged full cooperation.
On Sunday, Türkiye 's state-owned Anadolu news agency said the hotel's owner, manager, director, and 12 others were arrested as part of the probe. According to Reuters, itt said judicial proceedings continued for the deputy mayor of the Bolu province and the head of the local fire department, while six others were released under certain conditions.
The blaze started in the restaurant floor of the 12-story building, which had 238 registered guests, at around 3:30 a.m.