Four children were stabbed on Thursday, three of whom remain in critical condition, in the French Alpine town of Annecy, when a knife-wielding Syrian man attacked them in a playground. An adult is also in critical condition after people were stabbed.

Eyewitnesses and video footage reveal that the man was wearing a head-covering and actively looking for victims as he ran after people with a knife.

The area was cut off from the general public after the attack, and soldiers were deployed to block access to nearby roads as police began questioning those who witnessed the tragedy.

President Emmanuel Macron learned of the event, calling it an “absolutely cowardly attack.” The video shows that the attacker does not seem to have targeted anyone specifically, but was going after anyone nearby. 

Macron said: “Children and an adult are between life and death. The nation is in shock. Our thoughts are with them as well as with their families and the emergency services on the scene.”