Backpack hero terrified of taking on stabbers Annecy playground stabbing says he has ‘terrible images in his head’
The backpack hero who dealt with the stabber in the Annecy playground still has the horrifying images in his mind, he revealed.
Henri, 24, bravely intervened in Thursday’s horrific incident in France that stabbed four children and seriously injured others.
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The Frenchman’s valiant effort was believed to have slowed the mad knifeman’s killing spree, allowing police to hunt down and apprehend the attacker.
Footage showed Henri swinging his bags at the knife-wielding man, who appeared to be losing his adrenaline-pumping momentum.
The heroic man is then seen chasing him across the playground and finally away from the children into a park.
Since then, Henri has been dubbed a “backpack hero” and even praised by French President Emmanuel Macron.
Henri told CNews: “I acted really instinctively, I acted like any Frenchman, I did everything I could to protect the most vulnerable.”
“What I did, anyone could have done. I followed my instincts.”
However, after the horrific ordeal, Henri told Le Parisien that he was suffering from the incident.
He said: “I have horrific images in my head.
“I was the main witness, I gave a long statement of three hours and described every second in several sentences.
“I fell asleep with a good sleeping pill.”
According to the Catholic newspaper Aleteia, Henri has a degree in philosophy and a master’s degree in management.
He was reportedly traveling around the country, visiting various cathedrals and was in the lake town at the time of the attack.
Henri believed he was miraculously absent from the scene.
He said: “All I know is that I wasn’t there by accident.
“I felt a great strength in me, it was unbearable that children were being attacked in front of my eyes.”
“A lot of people send me messages of support.
“I think first of all of the victims and their families. I hope they are doing well and that they get out of this situation.”
According to Le Parisien, Macron will meet with the hero man this week.
His Facebook and Instagram accounts were also inundated with messages thanking him for his bravery.
“May God bless you… you did what you could in that moment, you didn’t give up, you didn’t run away. You are an angel,” said one Instagram user.
This comes after police officers arrested the alleged attacker, a 31-year-old Syrian national who was granted asylum in Sweden ten years ago.
Horror footage showed the maniacal knifeman slinking through the busy Lake Annecy park before pouncing on the children in front of the terrified parents.
One of the two pensioners involved in the attack told Reuters he was sitting on a park bench when the attacker approached while fleeing.
“He probably wanted to create another victim,” said Youssouf, who asked that his family name be kept secret.
Former Liverpool footballer Anthony Le Tallec also happened to be there and shared a video on his Instagram story.
He said, “I was walking along the lake and I saw about ten people running in the opposite direction to me.”
“I asked them what was going on and someone said to me, ‘Run, run, there’s someone stabbing people.’
“He stabbed some kids, run, run!”
An eyewitness, who asked not to be named, said: “The man screamed in English and caused absolute panic as he started attacking the little ones.”
“He wanted to hurt as many people as possible. He caused a bloodbath. The little kids were easy targets.”
Another witness told Le Dauphine: “After people tried to scare him, he walked away and the police intervened.”
“He spoke English. At first we all thought it was staged, but when we heard people screaming we realized it was reality. The guy was confused.”
French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said: “Our whole country is in shock.”
The stabber was later identified as asylum seeker Abdalmash H, 32, who arrived in the country in 2022.
The Syrian national arrived in Sweden in 2013 and was granted refugee status in April.
However, he also applied for asylum in France in November, it said.
He was not known to security authorities and French prosecutors said they did not believe he had a “terrorist motive”.
Speak with France BlueAn eyewitness reported that the man had been going to the playground every day for the past two months.
“He was there every morning, from dawn to dusk, and everyone had seen him a little bit because he was all alone.”
The suspect’s ex-wife, who lives in Sweden, has not heard from him for four months, BFMTV reported.
The couple is said to have separated eight months ago – his wife took care of their child.
The TV station also reported that the suspect was “homeless” and was from Hassake, Syria.
French President Emmanuel Macron called the stabbing an act of “absolute cowardice”.
“The nation is shocked. Our thoughts are with them, their families and the emergency services,” he wrote on Twitter.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman said she was “appalled” by the attack and tweeted: “I am appalled by the attack on young children in Annecy, France.”
“My thoughts are with the children, their families and the local community affected by this shocking act.
“I am in contact with my friend Minister GDarmanin to offer our full support.”
François Astorg, the Mayor of Annecy, said: “A horrific attack this morning on Annecy’s Paquier Park.”
“All my thoughts go to the victims and families.”
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