According to a video released via YouTube on Wednesday, Charlie Hebdo was attacked for insulting the Prophet Mohammad. Nasser bin Ali al-Ansi, a high-ranking commander of Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP as the branch is known, stated that the attack was "vengeance" in the 11-minute video.
"As for the blessed Battle of Paris, we, the Organisation of al-Qaeda al Jihad in the Arabian Peninsula, claim responsibility for this operation as vengeance for the Messenger of God," reported Reuters citing Nasser bin Ali al-Ansi of the Yemeni branch of al Qaeda (AQAP).
On January 7, the Paris office of Charlie Hebdo was attacked by gunmen, leaving 12 people dead and a further 11 injured. The two terrorists responsible for the attack were later shot by police after an extensive manhunt. A third suspect turned himself in.
Prior to the attack, the magazine posted a caricature of the leader of the Islamic State militant group on its Twitter page. Previously, Charlie Hebdo received several threats from radical Islamists over its publication of caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad.
