France Beheading Attack Suspect Sends A Selfie Of Him And His Boss’ Head
The suspect of an attack on a factory in France reportedly sent a selfie photo of him and severed head of his boss Herve Cornara. Yassin Salhi, 35, the suspect, sent the photo to a Canadian mobile phone via WhatsApp messaging service after Friday’s attack near Lyon.
Cornara’s decapitated head was found alongside the Islamic flags. As of now, police haven’t found the motive of the suspect and Salhi was arrested at the Air Products factory on Friday morning.
Salhi is also accused of ramming a vehicle into an area containing flammable liquids, which became a cause of a blast. Prime Minister Manuel Valls returned to France from his short visit in Latin America after the attack in the small town of Saint Quentin-Fallavier, which is 40km away from Lyon.
On Saturday, officials and residents of Saint Quentin-Fallavier gathered outside the town hall to observe a minutes of silence, according to BBC. The suspect had been investigated in the past about his alleged links with Islamist militants.
CNN reports French authorities have detained the suspect, with French President François Hollande confirming there were two people hurt in the blast at the U.S.-owned factory near Lyon in southeastern France. The attack occurred in the morning when a delivery van entered the gates, according to Paris Prosecutor Francois Molins, whose office handles anti-terrorism cases throughout France. Since the driver of the van was recognised as a delivery employee, the van was allowed to enter.
Security cameras wasn’t able to capture the van until several minutes later. The van accelerated toward a warehouse that contained canister of acetone, liquid air and gas. "There is no doubt that the intention was to provoke an attack, an explosion," Hollande said.
Five minutes later, firefighters came and they found the suspect in the warehouse trying to open the canister. The firefighters also discovered the body of 54-year-old employer Cornara.
NDTV reports no terrorist groups have claimed the responsibility on Friday’s attack in France. On the same day, a Tunisia beach resort was attacked by three gunmen, which left 38 people gunned down, while in Kuwait, a suicide bombing occurred, which left 26 people dead.
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