At least one man attacked a gas factory Friday in southeastern France, posting a severed head at the factory's entrance along with banners covered with Arabic writing, officials said. France immediately opened a terrorism investigation.President Francois Hollande, speaking in Brussels, said one person was killed and two injured in the attack, which began shortly before 10 a.m. when a car crashed the gate of a gas factory in Saint-Quentin-Fallavier, southeast of Lyon. The car then plowed into gas canisters, touching off an explosion, he said."No doubt about the intention — to cause an explosion," Hollande said, calling the attack "of a terrorist nature."
A security official said a severed head was found posted on the gate at the entrance to the factory, in what appeared to be an echo of Islamic State's practice of beheading prisoners and displaying the heads for all to see.
Man Beheaded: Gas Factory Attacked in Southern France