NNA - Five people were injured in a knife attack in the French Alps on Thursday, including four children and one adult, a security source told AFP, giving a new toll for the stabbing.

Two of the children and the adult were in a critical condition, the source said, asking for anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly to the media.

The previous toll given by security sources was seven people injured, including six children.

A man armed with a knife attacked a group of children aged around three years old as they played in a park near the lake in the town at around 9:45 am (0745 GMT), a security source who asked not to be named and a local official told AFP.

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin tweeted that the culprit “has been arrested thanks to the rapid reaction of security forces.”

Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne’s office announced she was traveling to the scene and MPs in the national parliament held a minute’s silence as news of the attack broke in the French media.

The suspect in the stabbing attack told police he was a Syrian asylum seeker, a police source told AFP on condition of anonymity.

The suspected attacker’s identity is being verified and has not been confirmed, according to the source, who added that he is thought to be unknown to security services. -- AFP

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