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Man charged with attempted murder after park stabbing of children including British girl, 3, in France

French judges have charged man with attempted murder after the stabbing of four young children and two adults in a French Alps park.

A three-year-old British girl was among those injured in the knife attack in the Alpine town of Annecy on Thursday.

All four children, aged between 22 months and 3 years old, remain in hospital but French President Emmanuel Macron expressed hope after speaking to their doctors on Friday that their conditions would continue to improve.

The suspect is a 31-year-old Syrian refugee with permanent residency in Sweden. His name has not yet been released.

Lead prosecutor, Line Bonnet-Mathis, said the man was presented to investigating judges in the lakeside town on Saturday and handed the charges. He is in custody pending further investigation.

The prosecutor also confirmed the victims are no longer in a life-threatening condition after Thursday’s attack.

The six victims came from four different countries: France, Britain, the Netherlands and Portugal.

Police detained the suspect in the lakeside park in Annecy after bystanders sought to deter him.

The motive behind Thursday’s knife attack in a playground remained unexplained but the prosecutor said it didn’t appear to be terrorism-related.

Mr Macron visited the victims and their families, first responders and witnesses, on Friday.

He said two young French cousins who were the most critically injured have stabilised, and doctors were “very confident.” The wounded British girl “is awake, she’s watching television,” Mr Macron added.

A wounded Dutch girl had also improved and a critically injured adult – who was both knifed and wounded by a shot that police fired as they detained the suspected attacker – is regaining consciousness, the French premier said.

The second injured adult has been discharged from a hospital.

This story is being updated.

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