TWO girls, aged six and 11, were stabbed in a knife rampage near a primary school in France.
The attacker, 28, has been arrested and the two children were taken to a hospital with superficial wounds, police said.
AFPArmed cops rushed to the scene this afternoon[/caption]
AFPCrowds of scared parents waiting to pick up their children at the school in eastern France[/caption]
The 11-year-old was stabbed outside the school in the town of Souffelweyersheim, while the six-year-old was attacked by the same man in a square nearby.
Armed cops and fire services swarmed the school and did not let anyone in or out until they confirmed it was safe.
Police quickly arrested the assailant who they say does not have any known links to radical groups and was not previously known to the security services.
Jean-Baptiste Peyrat, director of the region’s state office, said: “They were injured, but their lives are not in danger. They were quickly taken care of by the Samu [emergency services] and fire services,”
Peyrat added: “The security of the school will be ensured” in the days to come.”
Malik, a security guard at the school, told Le Parisien that he had seen a man with “orange hair” and a “grey jacket” lurking near the school just before the attack at 1.45pm.
“He seemed strange to me because he always glanced towards the school,” he said.
Terrified parents were later in the afternoon allowed to pick up their children, who had been confined to the school in the immediate aftermath of the attack.
“I’m really scared. We’ve been reassured that the children are safe inside, but we don’t know when we’ll be able to get them back,” said Sarah, a mother of a pupil, aged eight, before the green light was given to collect the children.
The attack came as Prime Minister Gabriel Attal announced a series of measures aimed at cracking down on violence committed by schoolchildren against their peers.
There was no indication so far that the attacker had a link with the school.
AFPFire services guarding the perimeter of the school[/caption]
AFPBy 4pm local time, parents were allowed to pick their children[/caption]
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