French attack suspect snapped selfie with decapitated head, sent photo on Whatsapp

French President Francois Hollande said the attack was of "a terrorist nature."

By JPOST.COM STAFF, REUTERS
Updated: JUNE 29, 2015 15:13
French attack suspect being taken home by police for investigation
The suspect in a beheading in France on Friday allegedly snapped a selfie with the head and sent it to a Canadian number through Whatsapp before attempting to flee the scene, according to reports by AFP.
Yassim Salhi is suspected of having rammed his delivery van into a warehouse of gas containers, triggering an initial explosion. He was arrested minutes later while opening canisters containing flammable chemicals.
Police later found the head of the victim, a 54-year-old manager of the transport firm that employed the suspect, dangling from a fence at the site, framed by flags with written references to Islam.
French President Francois Hollande said the attack was of "a terrorist nature."
"The attack was of a terrorist nature since a body was discovered, decapitated and with inscriptions," Hollande told a news conference in Brussels, where he was attending an EU summit on Friday.
While an anti-terrorist inquiry has been launched, Paris public prosecutor Francois Molins cautioned against premature conclusions and said investigators had yet to fully understand what happened at the industrial zone in Saint Quentin-Fallavier, 30 km (20 miles) south of the city of Lyon.