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chemical plant
Officials say one person was decapitated and two others injured after attack on
chemical depot near Lyon.
26 Jun 2015 17:59 GMT | France, War & Conflict, Europe
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"The attack was of a terrorist nature since a body was discovered, decapitated and
with inscriptions. As I speak, there is one fatality and two injured," said President
Hollande, speaking in Brussels.
A French prosecutor says four people are in custody and that police were still
searching buildings for evidence.
'Salafist links'
French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, speaking to reporters near the scene of
the attack, said the suspect had links to the Salafist movement and had previously
been on an intelligence watch list between 2006 and 2008.
Cazeneuve said the suspect was apprehended by a fireman who had responded to
the incident.
Several other people were also arrested at the scene by police, as a precaution, he
said.
A full-scale investigation is now under way.
Police sealed off the entrance to the factory in southeastern France [AFP]
Al Jazeera's Paul Brennan, reporting from Saint Quentin Fallevier, said officials have
not yet confirmed what the motive for the attack was.
Brennan said that the man who was arrested was aged 30 and was known to police.
The target of the attack is a chemical factory which is reportedly linked to a French
company called Air Products that works with Total and specialises in liquid gas.
The company issued a statement following the incident, saying that all of the
employees have been accounted for.
"Our priority at this stage is to take care of our employees, who have been
evacuated from the site," the company said.
The attack came nearly six months after the attacks in and around Paris that killed
17 people in January that started with a shooting at satirical magazine Charlie
Hebdo.