France seeks explanations for the horror of Annecy and celebrates its heroes

This is the story of a city and a country horrified by a crime committed for no apparent reason, and simultaneously dazzled by the courageous acts of several citizens who prevented a massacre. It is partly the story of Abdalmasih and Henri. One is Syrian; the other, French. The former is in custody for stabbing several young children on Thursday in a park in Annecy, a placid and prosperous town in the French Alps. The second is resting in a house in a residential neighborhood of that same city as he tries to assimilate what happened in the last few hours.

It was Henri who, armed only with his backpack, chased Abdalmasih away from the playground where he was attacking children and babies — “the most barbaric act conceivable,” said the French president, Emmanuel Macron — and thus, risking his own life, saved the lives of others. If there were no deaths, it was thanks to Henri and other citizens who chased Abdalmasih and allowed the police to arrest him a few minutes later. He has been charged with attempted murder.

Abdalmasih and Henri, two fates that fortuitously crossed paths, two men born in the 1990s, who are respectively 31 and 24 years old. One wanted to hurt and kill defenseless beings; the other one saved them and is already being hailed as the “hero with the backpack.” The former had a cross in his hand when he carried out the attack. In one of the videos that has circulated on social media, he seems to say in English: “In the name of Jesus Christ.” The latter is a devout Catholic who was stopping over in Annecy during a nine-month walking tour of the cathedrals of France.

This is the story of a Syrian refugee who declared himself a Christian from the East and who has a Christian name – Abdalmasih means “servant of the messiah” – and a French youth who says he has felt guided by faith in Christ since he was a child.

Henri told BFM-TV on Friday morning: “I don’t know what [religion] [Abdalmasih] claims to be, but what I do know is that it is profoundly anti-Christian to attack perfectly unarmed and weak innocent beings. Every Christian civilization, on which our country has been built, consists precisely of a chivalrous message to defend the widow and the orphan.”

“Now he’s very tired, he’s resting,” said Arnaud, Henri’s uncle, at midday when he opened the door of the house where he is staying these days. Arnaud prefers not to give out his last name, nor Henri’s. He said that his nephew was not afraid: “He acted on instinct.” He says that perhaps it was his past as a boy scout that guided him. And religion: “Faith drives you.”

In the entrance to the building on the centrally located Royale street, where Abdalmasih spent the nights in recent months, Sofia Moreno, a woman of Portuguese origin who manages rental apartments in the building, explained: “I never saw his face: he covered his head with a handkerchief. He did not say anything. As far as I know, he was never aggressive.”

Macron and his wife, Brigitte, visited the injured and their families who have been hospitalized in nearby Grenoble. He later met in Annecy with the citizens, police and staff who subdued the assailant and provided assistance to the victims.

The motive and background of the assailant remain clouded by many unknown factors. It is known that he is Syrian, that he arrived in Sweden about a decade ago, that he obtained a permanent residence permit in that country, that he married a woman of Syrian origin with Swedish citizenship, that they had a daughter, and that they separated. It is not clear why at the end of 2022 he went to France, and particularly to Annecy, a postcard-like city with its lake and imposing mountains. One possible reason is that Sweden denied him citizenship, allegedly because between 2011 and 2013 he had belonged to the Syrian Army, according to the daily Le Monde. In France he had applied for asylum, which was rejected on June 5.

The interrogation is progressing slowly, according to a source quoted by Le Monde. This source said that Abdalmasih maintains an “obstructionist” attitude. A psychiatric examination has established that he is “anxious and depressed,” according to BFM-TV.

The incident is politically flammable. Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Rally, told Europe 1 radio: “A referendum on immigration is needed. It’s the only way to regain control. I do not admit that we cannot decide who enters and who remains in our territory.” Le Pen connects with a malaise present in French society.

On Friday at 9:45 a.m., in Le Pâquier, the meadow by the lake where 24 hours earlier Abdalmasih had stabbed the children, there were journalists, cameramen and residents who came to bring flowers and leave messages. Not everyone was happy about Macron’s visit.

“The president, right now, needs to regain popularity, and when there is an incident like this, he tries to clean up his image,” says Valérie, a 50-year-old administrative assistant. Valérie is in favor of a referendum on immigration. “And I already know the result: people are fed up.” Sylvie, mother of a two-and-a-half-year-old boy, adds: “They should send everyone back to their countries, all those who do not have papers. It’s sad to say, but we don’t feel safe.” Matthias, a 19-year-old student who has overheard the conversation, approaches and says: “I find it a bit silly that politics are getting involved here, I would rather that we contributed our support to the families.”

Abdalmasih lived between this park and the common area of the building on Royale Street, a pedestrian area with shops and cafes. By day he sat on a bench by the river. At 7 p.m. he would walk back to the area that served as his residence, spread some cardboard under the mailboxes and covered himself with a sleeping bag. He was well dressed and before going to sleep he always brushed his teeth, recalls Bertrand, who runs a sportswear store right across from the spot.

Sofía Moreno, the woman who is in charge of apartments in the Royale street building and who crossed paths with Abdalmasih almost daily, corroborates that he kept strict hours. There was only one exception, on a recent Saturday or Sunday. “It was the only time he saw him sleeping in. He had a bottle of whiskey with him. I told myself he was drunk.”

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