09 June 2023 , 15:36
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Emmanuel Macron has met with the man who was filmed chasing off the knifeman who attacked multiple children in yesterday's horror attack in France.
The French president arrived at a local police headquarters close to the park at around 3pm with his wife Brigitte, where they met the hero.
Syrian Abdelmasih Hanoun slashed at the 24-year-old man with the same knife he then used to brutally stab one young child after another.
But rather than run, Henri d'Ansleme used his large backpack to swing at the knifeman and fend off his blade.
French media hailed Henri as "the hero with a backpack" after footage showed him heroically trying to fend off Abdelmasih who critically wounded four children, including one Brit, between the ages of 22 months and 3 years old.
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He also injured two adults.
A 24-year-old man named Henri was seen hitting the knifeman with his bagThe random attack by the lone man happened near the lake in Annecy town in what locals have described as a usually family-friendly and peaceful park.
Despite Abdelmasih's aggression, Henri did not abate in harassing him and footage appeared to show him hurling one of the backpacks at him at one point and then picking it up again to take another swing.
Henri got personal words of gratitude on Friday from President Macron, who toured hospitals to meet victims and their families.
"You experienced very hard moments, traumatising," Macron said. "I am very proud of you."
Henri's father, François, said he believed that his son's dogged pursuit helped dissuade the attacker from stabbing more victims before police wrestled him to the ground.
A video of the knife attacker circulated on TwitterHe told the Associated Press: "He took a lot of risks – when he wasn’t armed, with just his backpacks.
"He didn’t stop running after him for many minutes, to stop him from coming back and massacring the kids even more. I think he prevented carnage by scaring him off. Really very courageous."
Modest Henri shied away from the "hero" label and said he "tried to act as all French people should act, or would act."
He told broadcaster BFMTV: "At that moment, you unplug your brain and react a bit like an animal by instinct.
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French President Emmanuel Macron meets Henri the 24-year-old 'backpack hero' (Pool/ABACA/REX/Shutterstock)"It was impossible for me to witness that without reacting.”
"I am far from alone in having reacted. Many other people around started, like me, to run after him to try to scare him, push him away. And other people immediately went over to the children to take care of the injured.
"I remember there was also a municipal worker who arrived from the right with a large plastic shovel to try to hit him."
The motives for the attack remained unexplained and the suspect, who has refugee status in Sweden, remains in custody while psychiatrists are evaluating him.