French authorities have identified the man whose decapitated head was found after an attack on a factory near Lyon, reports CNN.
Hervé Cornora was in charge of the transportation company that employed Yassin Salhi, the alleged attacker, according to CNN's French affiliate BFMTV.
A memorial for Cornora, 54, was held Saturday in his hometown, Fontaines-sur-Saône, about seven miles (11.3 kilometers) north of Lyon. Residents of his neighborhood gathered to listen to the town's mayor eulogize Cornora, who was a personal friend.
Mayor Thierry Pouzol said Cornora was deeply connected to his community and tried to help his neighbors. He "took care of others," Pouzol said during the emotional tribute that was broadcast on French TV. "Today, we are all with Hervé," he said, and asked the people gathered to "maintain reserve and dignity to honor (Cornora's) memory."
The group also held a minute of silence.
Cornora's severed head was found hanging from a fence, along with two banners that purportedly bear Islamic writing, outside the same factory where a large explosion occurred Friday. Police found his body in the suspect's van.
The attack took place at a U.S.-owned factory in Saint-Quentin-Fallavier, about 18 miles (30 km) outside of Lyon. The company, Air Products & Chemicals, supplies gases for industrial use.
It began when a delivery van allegedly driven by Salhi entered the facility Friday morning, according to Paris Prosecutor François Molins, whose office handles anti-terrorism cases throughout France.