8 injured, including children, in stabbing in French Alps, interior minister says

PARIS and LONDON -- Eight people, including children, were injured in a stabbing in the French Alps on Thursday morning, local authorities said.

The attack took place at about 9:45 a.m. local time, in Annecy's city center, a spokesperson for the local prefecture told ABC News.

The suspect, a 31-year-old Syrian, was arrested immediately and is currently in police custody, officials said.

Four children aged between 22 months and 3 years suffered life-threatening injuries. Two adults were also injured, according to authorities.

The prosecutor said the attacker’s motives remain unknown but do not appear to be terrorism-related, French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said in a speech in Annecy.

"The investigation will clarify both the course, the profile of this assailant, and naturally all light will have to be shed on this," Borne said. "But today we feel emotional and we are here with the minister of the Interior, alongside the inhabitants of Annecy, to express all the support and all the solidarity of the nation."

"Several people including children have been injured by an individual armed with a knife in a square in Annecy," French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said on Twitter.

The local prefecture said it had not yet released the health status or ages of the victims.

Annecy sits close to the French border and is about 20 miles south of Geneva, Switzerland. Tourists flock to the historic medieval city center to stroll alongside canals, according to the local tourist office.

ABC News' Guy Davies contributed to this story.