Beheading victim in French factory attack identified

LYON, France, June 28 (UPI) -- The man whose decapitated head was found after a terrorist attack at a French gas factory was identified as the suspect's 54-year-old boss.

Herve Cornara was in charge of transportation at the U.S.-owned Air Products & Chemicals, which supplies gases for industrial use. Authorities said Yassin Salhi, 35, killed Cornara and put his head on the factory gates, purportedly alongside flags with Islamic writing. The victim's body was found in a nearby van.

Investigator said Salhi drove a delivery van onto the factory grounds on Friday. Surveillance cameras appeared to show Salhi accelerate toward a warehouse that contained canisters of flammable gas, acetone and liquid air. The explosion was so loud it could be heard two miles away.

Salhi was taken into custody. He has been on the French terrorist watch list since 2006. Authorities are still trying to piece together the attack and determine if more people were involved. Salhi's wife, sister and one other person were also been arrested.

The Paris prosecutor's office said Salhi admitted to killing and decapitating Cornara. Salhi has not yet been charged in the attack.

French President Francois Hollande said there was "no doubt" the intent was to destroy the entire plant as part of a terrorist attack. Saturday, Hollande held a second emergency defense meeting in response to the factory attack and the attacks in Tunisia and Kuwait. Hollande and Prime Minister Manuel Valls cut short international meetings for the crisis summit that followed raising the country's security level.