French President Emmanuel Macron has visited traumatised families in hospital following the stabbing attack of four toddlers in the alpine town Annecy. 

The children aged between 22 months and three years old are in a stable condition after emergency surgery. 

Mr Macron and his wife Brigitte travelled together to a hospital in Grenoble, treating three of the children. 

They did not speak to reporters as they went inside. 

The other child, was being treated in Geneva, in neighbouring Switzerland. 

Macron’s prime minister, Elisabeth Borne, said all four children “are under constant medical surveillance.”

“Their situation is stable,” she said.

The children, and two pensioners, were allegedly wounded by a 31-year-old Syrian man in a park on Thursday morning. 

The two adults suffered knife wounds.

One was injured both with a knife and a shot fired by police as they detained the alleged attacker. 

The alleged attacker is still in police custody and Psychiatrists are evaluating him. 

French authorities said the suspect had recently been refused asylum in France because Sweden had already granted him permanent residency and refugee status a decade ago.

Lead prosecutor Line Bonnet-Mathis said the man’s motives were unknown but did not appear to be terrorism-related.

An attempted murder investigation has been opened. 

She said he was armed with a folding knife and carrying “certain religious insignia.”

‘Backpack hero’ 

While the nation is still reeling from the attack on vulnerable citizens, one bystander is being hailed a hero by French media. 

The 24-year-old Henri, last name unknown, was on a walking tour of nearby cathedrals when he tried to block the assailant with two backpacks. 

A video of the attack, taken by a bystander and verified by Reuters, showed the assailant jump a low wall into a children’s playground and repeatedly lunge at a child in a stroller, pushing aside a woman who tries to fend him off, while Henri pursues him and hits him with his backpack.

French media have called him “héros au sac à dos” (the backpack hero).

His only public comment so far is the message “Pray for the children, I am ok” on his Facebook page.

He is expected to meet President Emmanuel Macron when he visits Annecy. 

Residents of Annecy have left white roses at the spot of the attack which has drawn international condemnation. 

On a visit to the US, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called the tragedy, which involved a British child, ‘unfathomable’. 

“I have been in touch with President Macron, we stand ready to offer any assistance that we can.”

AP/Reuters