Oklahoma beheading suspect Alton Alexander Nolen faces death penalty as prosecutors announced their intention to seek the capital punishment for his case on Wednesday.

Nolen, 30, is being held without bond in Cleveland County Jail for first-degree murder charges following the death of 54-year-old Colleen Hufford as well as two counts of assault charges.

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Cleveland County District Attorney Greg Mashburn told the Associated Press that they intend to seek the death penalty following Nolen's video arraignment.

Mashburn also stated that he had convened with the victim's family before deciding on capital punishment, making sure that they fully understood what the penalty would entail, and has explained that the necessary paperwork for the motion could be filed within the week.

On Thursday last week, a disgruntled Nolen went on a stabbing spree at a Vaughan Foods processing plant after he was laid off from his job there.

During the incident, Nolen came across Hufford, one of his former co-workers, and decapitated her on the spot using a large kitchen knife.

After killing Hufford, he then turned on another employee, identified as 43-year-old Traci Johnson from Oklahoma City and stabbed her several times before he was shot by a company official who happened to be a reserve deputy for the county.

According to reports, Nolen had a race-related argument with Johnson prior to the attack.

Nolen was also charged for threatening the company's Chief Executive Officer, Mark Vaughan.

Reports indicated that the suspect has recently converted to Islam and was chanting Arabic words during the attack, causing authorities to call on the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) to collaborate with local police during the probe.

"That investigation is still ongoing, and it is unclear at this time whether the crime was an act of terrorism, workplace violence or a gruesome combination of both," Governor Mary Fallin stated, adding that the state Department of Homeland Security is also helping during the probe. 

Tagsbeheading, Murder, stabbing, Oklahoma, vaughan foods, Terrorist, Oklahoma