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France attack: Man decapitated at factory near Lyon France attack: Man decapitated at factory near Lyon
(about 1 hour later)
A man has been found decapitated at a gas factory near Lyon in France after an attack that police suspect was carried out by one of his employees. A van driver who was investigated for links to Islamist radicals has attacked a gas factory near the south-eastern city of Lyon, a French prosecutor says.
The body was found after a car rammed into the factory causing an explosion that put France on its highest alert amid fears of a terror attack. Yacine Sali, 35, caused an explosion by ramming his car into an area containing flammable liquids and was arrested at the scene, Francois Molins said.
Within hours a man was arrested who officials said had been investigated over possible ties to radical Islam. Mr Sali's boss, the owner of a delivery firm, was found beheaded alongside flags containing Arabic inscriptions.
His boss, the owner of a delivery firm, was the man found beheaded, police say. The attack put France back on to its highest terror alert.
The delivery company had made regular trips to the factory, which is owned by the US-based company Air Products, Dauphine Libere newspaper reports. An investigation has been launched by French anti-terror police.
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Few details of the killing have been released, but the businessman's head was reportedly found on a post at the factory, in Saint-Quentin-Fallavier, some 40km (25 miles) from Lyon. Yacine Sali drove his van into the Air Products factory in Saint-Quentin-Fallavier, some 40km (25 miles) from Lyon, at just after 09:30 (07:30 GMT).
Mr Hollande said the decapitated body had "inscriptions" on it. The French interior minister said: "A flag with Arabic writing on it was found at the scene." He was waved through by staff who recognised him as one of their regular delivery drivers, Prosecutor Molins said.
A terror investigation was launched immediately after news of the attack emerged, and a maximum alert declared. CCTV footage caught the van a few minutes later accelerating towards an open hanger which contained many jars of flammable liquid. Shortly afterwards, there was a blast.
At a press conference soon after the incident, Mr Hollande confirmed that two attackers had targeted the chemicals factory at around 10:00 local time (08:00 GMT). The fire brigade was called and, at just before 10:00, one of the fire officers caught the suspect trying to open bottles of acetone at a second hanger, Mr Molins said.
He said a car made it through the factory gates before ploughing into gas canisters, sparking an explosion that injured two people. The body of Mr Sali's boss, the 54-year-old owner of a transport company in the Lyon area, was found nearby.
"We have no doubt that the attack was to blow up the building. It bears the hallmarks of a terrorist attack," he said. The body had been decapitated and the head had been hooked on to some factory railings, along with two flags bearing Arabic inscriptions, Mr Molins went on to say.
One of those arrested within hours of the attack was a man officials named as Yacine Sali, 35. He said the suspect was a father of three who had been married for 10 years. His wife, sister and another person have also been arrested.
Mr Sali had been "under investigation for radicalisation but this investigation was not renewed in 2008. He had no police record," France's Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said. Mr Sali, Mr Molins said, had never been found guilty of any crime but had been "under surveillance for radical Islamist activities since 2006".
The suspect's partner spoke to Europe 1 radio earlier on Friday and expressed shock at the news of his arrest, saying he had left for his delivery job as normal and did not come home. She has since been taken into custody. Before her arrest, Mr Sali's wife told Europe 1 radio of her shock at his arrest, saying he had left for his delivery job as normal and did not come home.
Local media reported the arrest of another suspect who was believed to have been driving back and forth past the factory before the attack, but this has not been confirmed. "We have a normal family life," she said.
Air Products makes gases and chemicals for a wide range of industries, including technology, energy, healthcare, food, and has employees in 50 countries around the world. Putting France on maximum alert, President Francois Hollande said: "We have no doubt that the attack was to blow up the building. It bears the hallmarks of a terrorist attack."
"We can confirm that an incident occurred at our facility in L'Isle-d'Abeau, France this morning," a company spokesperson said. Speaking to reporters before flying back from an EU summit in Brussels, he reflected on the fact it would remind people of the attacks in and around Paris in January that killed 17 people.
"Our priority at this stage is to take care of our employees, who have been evacuated from the site and all accounted for."
Prime Minister Manuel Valls ordered security to be stepped up at sensitive sites around Lyon.
Mr Hollande, who left the EU summit in Brussels early to return to France, made reference to the attacks on Charlie Hebdo magazine and a Jewish supermarket in and around Paris in January that killed 17 people.
"We all remember what happened before in our country. There is therefore a lot of emotion," he said."We all remember what happened before in our country. There is therefore a lot of emotion," he said.
Security was stepped up at sensitive sites around Lyon.
US-owned Air Products makes gases and chemicals for a wide range of industries, including technology, energy, healthcare, food, and has employees in 50 countries around the world.
A spokesperson said their employees "had been evacuated from the site and all accounted for".
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