Nasr al-Ansi, a top commander of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula confirmed that the dreaded attack which took place against Paris satirical magazine ‘Charlie Hebdo’ was planned and executed by them.
He appeared in a 11 minute video which hit the online world on Wednesday, January 14, 2015. Nasr referred the attackers as “Two Heroes of Islam”, and he added that the massacre at Charlie Hebdo was done inorder to fulfill the “vengeance for the prophet”.
Apart from the video, the Al Qaeda leadership also issued a statement claiming the responsibility of these attacks.
As per the statement, the attack was ordered by Ayman al-Zawahri, top Al Qaeda leader. Nasr al-Ansi added that France belongs to the “party of satan”, and he asked the French population to expect more “tragedies and terror”. They added that all depictions of prophet are blasphemous.
Later, an English version of the claim also started surfacing the online world, and it featured a chilling image of the Eiffel Tower in Paris dissolving into a wisp of smoke.
The headline of this claim is titled, “Vengeance for the Prophet: A Message Regarding the Blessed Battle of Paris”.
Earlier on Saturday, Harith al-Nadari, another senior member of Al Qaeda issued an audio statement telling that the attack was carried out to teach the French people the limits of freedom of expression.
The attack against the French Magazine was carried out by two masked gunmen, and it resulted in the death of 12 people, which includes the weekly’s editorial staffs and two police officers.