French woman and her three daughters were stabbed at a holiday resort on Tuesday, July 19 by a Moroccan-born man who allegedly said that they were too scantily dressed at the Alpine resort of Colombe, near Laragne, in southern France.
The woman, 46, and daughter aged 12 and 14, are being treated at the hospital of Gap, closer to the scene of the attack. Their injuries are severe but not considered life-threatening. However, the 8-year-old was rushed to hospital in Grenoble with a punctured lung and is currently fighting for her life.
According to The Telegraph, the attack took place around 10 am. The assailant stabbed the three girls on the terrace of of their chalet before attacking their mother inside.
Initial reports claimed the man struck because he was angered by the women being "scantily dressed," but a local prosecutor has denied this.
Raphaël Balland, prosecutor of Gap, said:
"I wanted to quash the rumour currently doing the rounds because on no account did this man make such comments about the fact that the attack may have been motivated by the victims' dress code."
The Moroccan-born attacker, who is from the Paris area, has a police record for petty crimes over the past 15 years. He is reported to have been on holiday at the resort with his pregnant wife and two children. The two families were staying next to each other and the assailant’s wife is "devastated", according to the mayor.