An ISIS-inspired “lone wolf” extremist decapitated his boss and then propped his severed head on a fence in a gruesome terror attack on an American-owned factory in France Friday, counterterrorism officials said.
Yassin Salhi, 35, screamed, “Allahu akbar,” as he was restrained by firefighters called to Air Products gas plant in Saint-Priest after Salhi sparked an explosion with his van, according to Agence France-Presse.
The Muslim radical crashed his delivery van into gas canisters near the entrance gate shortly before 10 a.m., injuring two people.
Salhi, a resident of the nearby city of Lyon who worked as deliveryman, was taken into police custody.
French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said the man had been known by intelligence forces and was under surveillance from 2006 to 2008.EPA“It was a terrorist attack,” said French President François Hollande.
French media reported that the victim, an unidentified 54-year-old businessman, was Salhi’s boss, according to AFP. He was riding in the same vehicle as Salhi when the attack unfolded, officials said.
After both men arrived at the factory to make a delivery, Salhi used a knife to decapitate his boss inside of the van. He placed the severed head on a nearby fence before getting back in the van and ramming into the gas canisters.
