In a YouTube video, Nasr al-Ansi, a top commander of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, said the attack was in vengeance for the Prophet Muhammad.
In a graphic released on Twitter by the group, they say the leadership of AQAP planned and financed the operation against Charlie Hebdo, which printed cartoon depictions of the prophet, despite threats.
“We did it in compliance with the Command of Allah and supporting His Messenger,” the message read.
In the almost 12-minute video, al-Ansi congratulates, Saïd and Chérif Kouachi, the two gunmen in Paris, and exhorts Muslims across the world to “take vengeance for Muslim blood spilled.”
