<p>A 35-year-old man arrested in connection with the attack today on a French gas factory was investigated nine years ago for radicalisation and has links to the Salafist movement, Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said.<br /><br /></p>.<p>"He was investigated in 2006 for radicalisation, but (the probe) was not renewed in 2008. He had no criminal record," Cazeneuve said.<br /><br />He identified the suspect as Yacine Salhi, 35, who was known to have lived around Lyon, France's second largest city, near the site of the attack.<br /><br />"This individual has links with the Salafist movement, but had not been identified as having participated in activities of a terrorist nature," added the minister who rushed to the scene in eastern France.<br /><br />Salhi had remained on intelligence authorities' radar, Cazeneuve said. Salafism is an extremist, puritanical form of the majority Sunni branch of Islam.<br /><br />One person was killed and two injured during the attack in the small town of Saint-Quentin-Fallavier, around 40 kilometres from Lyon. A decapitated head was found pinned to the gates of the factory.<br /><br />Cazeneuve said a local firefighter who rushed to the scene had overpowered and "neutralised" Salhi.<br /><br />The minister said he had shown "courage and kept a cool head". "I would like to offer my deepest thanks to the firefighter and his colleagues who came to the scene for their promptness and effectiveness."<br /><br />Police have taken an unknown number of people into custody for questioning in connection with the case, but it was not immediately clear if any of them played a role in the attack, Cazeneuve said.<br /><br />Authorities were still working to identify the victim of the beheading, but he is believed to be a local businessman.</p>
<p>A 35-year-old man arrested in connection with the attack today on a French gas factory was investigated nine years ago for radicalisation and has links to the Salafist movement, Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said.<br /><br /></p>.<p>"He was investigated in 2006 for radicalisation, but (the probe) was not renewed in 2008. He had no criminal record," Cazeneuve said.<br /><br />He identified the suspect as Yacine Salhi, 35, who was known to have lived around Lyon, France's second largest city, near the site of the attack.<br /><br />"This individual has links with the Salafist movement, but had not been identified as having participated in activities of a terrorist nature," added the minister who rushed to the scene in eastern France.<br /><br />Salhi had remained on intelligence authorities' radar, Cazeneuve said. Salafism is an extremist, puritanical form of the majority Sunni branch of Islam.<br /><br />One person was killed and two injured during the attack in the small town of Saint-Quentin-Fallavier, around 40 kilometres from Lyon. A decapitated head was found pinned to the gates of the factory.<br /><br />Cazeneuve said a local firefighter who rushed to the scene had overpowered and "neutralised" Salhi.<br /><br />The minister said he had shown "courage and kept a cool head". "I would like to offer my deepest thanks to the firefighter and his colleagues who came to the scene for their promptness and effectiveness."<br /><br />Police have taken an unknown number of people into custody for questioning in connection with the case, but it was not immediately clear if any of them played a role in the attack, Cazeneuve said.<br /><br />Authorities were still working to identify the victim of the beheading, but he is believed to be a local businessman.</p>