A leader in Al Qaeda, Yemen branch has claimed responsibility for last week's attack on French satirical newspaper, Charlie Hebdo, when two masked gunmen killed 12 people, including much of the weekly's editorial staff and two police officers.
Al Qaeda claims responsibility for Charlie Hebdo attack
Al Qaeda commander, Nasr al-Ansi, described Kouachi brothers who carried out Charlie Hebdo massacre as 'heroes of Islam'
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Reports say Nasr al-Ansi, a commander of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP appeared in an 11-minute video uploaded on the Internet , saying the massacre at Charlie Hebdo was in 'vengeance for the prophet'.
The newspaper is popular for publishing cartoons of Prophet Mohammed, considered an insult in Islam.
Al-Ansi in the video said France belongs to the 'party of Satan' and warned of more 'tragedies and terror'. He said Yemen's Al Qaeda branch 'chose the target, laid out the plan and financed the operation'.
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He described the Kouachi brothers - Said and Cherif, who carried out the massacre as 'heroes of Islam' in the 11-minute rant.
The news follows a survivors' edition of the Charlie Hebdo magazine selling out within hours of going on sale in France, with the print run increased to five million copies.
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