Police in France have detained a Syrian man in connection with a knife attack that wounded four young children and two adults. Local authorities say the children, aged 1 to 3, are in critical condition.

The authorities say the assault occurred in a lakeside park in the southeastern town of Annecy on Thursday.

They say police detained a 31-year-old Syrian national near the scene of the attack, and are trying to determine the motive.

The authorities say he had been granted asylum in Sweden 10 years ago and had also applied for refugee status in France.

They say one of the children is British and another is Dutch, and they were visiting as tourists.

President Emmanuel Macron took to Twitter, calling the attack an act of absolute cowardice. He wrote that the nation is in shock and people's thoughts are with the victims and their families.