Stabbings sparked by ‘groin itch’

A man stabbed a woman and her three daughters while they were vacationing in the South of France because he was angry about seeing the girls’ father scratch his crotch, it was reported Friday.

Mohamed Boufarkouch, a native of Morocco, used a small folding knife to attack the woman and the girls, ages 8, 12 and 14, in the small town of Garde-Colombe at around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, according to The Daily Mail.

He tried to flee in a car, but was captured by police. During questioning, he repeatedly yelled, “Allahu akbar,” Arabic for “God is great,” The Sun tabloid reported.

Boufarkouch was charged with attempted murder and appeared in a Grenoble courtroom, where deputy prosecutor Oliver Nagabbo laid out the bizarre case.

“The husband and father of the victims confirms he crossed the suspect while he was leaving the premises after the attack,” Nagabbo said. “The suspect allegedly then told him, ‘You shouldn’t have done that in front of my wife,’ then scratched the inside of his thigh over his shorts.”

“The husband doesn’t remember doing such a gesture,” Nagabbo said, adding that it was “hard to comprehend that such a gesture could have sparked such a serious attack from a person in full mental health or devoid of any ideological intent.”

The 8-year-old girl was the most severely wounded and was in critical condition at a hospital. The other victims suffered non-lifethreatening injuries.