French ‘Backpack Hero’ Says His Faith Gave Him Strength to Fight Knifeman

People pay respect in front of messages and floral tributes at the children's playground the day after several children and adults were injured in a knife attack at the Le Paquier park near the lake in Annecy, in the French Alps, France, on June 9, 2023. Denis Balibouse/Reuters

PARIS—A modern-day pilgrim on a walking tour of France’s cathedrals told journalists on Friday his Catholic faith gave him the strength to fight a man who stabbed four children in a park in Annecy.

Dubbed “the backpack hero”—“le héros au sac a dos”—by media, the 24-year-old who only gave his name as Henri said he was near a playground when he saw the man attacking children in a stroller as their mother tried to shield them on Thursday.