A man has beheaded a woman at a food-processing plant in Oklahoma, police have confirmed.

The knife attack happened at a food-processing plant in Moore on Thursday afternoon.

Police said the suspect also stabbed another woman in the incident at Vaughan Foods, after he was fired.

The attacker, identified as Alton Nolen (30), was shot by police and taken to hospital.

Moore Police spokesman Jeremy Lewis said the suspect "recently started trying to convert some of his co-workers to the Muslim faith". The FBI are involved.

The officer who shot Nolen was an off-duty reserve deputy who was chief operating officer at the business. The first victim was identified as Colleen Hufford (54).

Mr Lewis told a press conference "He did kill Colleen and he did sever her head." Nolen and the second victim, Traci Johnson, were both in a stable condition, said police.

Mr Lewis said the employee who shot Nolen was a "hero".

"This guy (Nolen) was definitely not going to stop," he added.

There were said to be several hundred employees inside the warehouse at the time of the attack.