France beheading attack: Suspect Yassin Salhi took a 'selfie' with his victim's head and sent it to a number in Canada, officials say

Salhi has reportedly told investigators he murdered and beheaded his boss due to 'problems at home and at work’

French police secure the entrance of the Air Products company in Saint-Quentin-Fallavier, near Lyon, central eastern France (AFP)

The man accused of murdering and beheading his boss in France on Friday took a “selfie” with his victim’s head and sent the picture to a number in Canada, officials have said.

Yassin Salhi reportedly told investigators on Sunday that he had murdered Hervé Cornara “due to problems at home and at work,” though detectives suspect the attack was motivated by his links with radical Islam and Isis.

Salhi took two “selfies” of himself with the severed head of his boss around an hour before he placed the head on the fence of the factory both men worked at in Sanit-Quintin fallavier, according to officials.

He then drove his van into the warehouse containing inflammable chemicals in what investigators suppose was an attempt at a suicide bombing, but which ended in a minor explosion that injured himself and two others.

One of the “selfies” allegedly taken by Salhi had been sent to a number in Toronto, Canada, via WhatsApp. Some have suggested this was a staging post and that the message was instead sent to an acquaintance fighting with Isis in Syria, but investigators have said it is too early to speculate over this. Canadian police are now investigating.

Salhi, who has a history of ties to Islamic extremists, remained on custody on Sunday with his wife and sister.

Additional reporting by agencies