ANNECY: French President Emmanuel Macron will on Friday visit the victims of a knife attack in the French Alps, the presidency said.

“Following yesterday’s attack, the president of the republic and his spouse will today visit the victims and their families as well as everyone in Annecy who has contributed in helping and supporting them,” it said.

In an attack that shocked the country on Thursday, a man armed with a knife stabbed four preschool children and two adults at a playground and public park in the normally tranquil lakeside town of Annecy.

The child victims were aged between 22 and 36 months.

The motive for the rampage remained unclear, with a local prosecutor saying “there’s no obvious terrorist motive”.

The alleged attacker was a Syrian refugee, identified as Abdalmasih H, who officials said was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said he was “not known by any intelligence service” and did not have “any history of psychiatric problems”.

Four children wounded in knife attack in French Alps

Recently divorced from a Swedish national and in his early 30s, the suspect had previously lived for 10 years in Sweden where he was granted refugee status in April, security sources and his ex-wife told AFP.

He had also sought asylum in Switzerland, Italy and France. The French application was rejected last Sunday as he already enjoyed refugee status in Sweden, officials said.