Abdalmasih Hanoun, the man accused of stabbing a British toddler and 12 other people in a playground attack in the French Alps, will stand trial for attempted murder, French prosecutors have announced.
Hanoun allegedly targeted three-year-old Ettie and 12 other victims during the knife attack at a lakeside park in Annecy, south-east France, in June 2023. He also faces a charge of armed resistance.
Attack details
The British youngster, who was on holiday in the area with her parents, was among four children aged between 22 months and three years who were injured. Two pensioners were also wounded in the attack that stunned France and made headlines around the world, the Daily Star reports.
At the time, prosecutors said Ettie suffered a single stab wound, but stressed that her condition was never considered "vital".
Trial ordered
On Wednesday, the French public prosecutor's office confirmed Hanoun will face trial at the Haute-Savoie Assize Court in Annecy within the next year. The announcement came after psychiatric experts assessed the defendant's mental state and concluded he was not "suffering from a psychological or neuropsychological disorder" when the attack took place.
The translated statement read: "By a decision dated October 6 2026, the Indictment Chamber of the Chambery Court of Appeal ordered that Abdalmasih Hanoun be back before the Haute-Savoie Assize Court in the case known as the 'paquier' case."
The defendant will have to answer charges of attempted murder in respect of 13 victims, violence with a weapon without total work incapacity in respect of two victims, and armed resistance.
Legal findings
"The Indictment Chamber considered that since the person under investigation was manifestly not, at the time of the events and according to the second panel of experts, suffering from a psychological or neuropsychological disorder abolishing his discernment or ability to control his actions, there could be no grounds justifying the decision not to indict Mr Abdalmasih Hanoun."
The statement further noted that the ruling to advance to trial may be challenged at the French Court of Cassation. Following the assault, French President Emmanuel Macron, accompanied by his wife Brigitte, paid a visit to the British youngster and fellow casualties at hospital before travelling to the lakeside community where the incident took place.
