French beheading suspect found dead in prison cell

Man alleged to have lured boss to van before decapitating him at gas factory in June

Yassin Salhi, who was suspected of decapitating his boss, is escorted from his apartment in Saint-Priest, Lyon, in June. Photograph: Philippe Desmazes/AFP/Getty Images

A man suspected of beheading a businessman at a French gas factory in June has been found dead in his prison cell.

Deputy prosecutor Jean-Michel Bourles in Evry, a suburb of Paris, said Yassin Salhi had committed suicide in Fleury-Merogis prison.

The former delivery driver faced preliminary murder and terrorism charges and was suspected of ties to Islamic State extremists.

The attack in France’s southeast put the country back on high alert after January’s deadly extremist attacks.

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French prosecutors said Salhi lured his boss into a van, knocked him unconscious and beheaded him. Salhi allegedly carried a long-bladed knife, a gun and two brand-new flags emblazoned with the Muslim declaration of faith.