Al Qaeda In The Arabian Peninsula Claims Responsibility For Paris Charlie Hebdo Attack

(CNN) - Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula claimed responsibility Wednesday for last week's deadly attack at France's Charlie Hebdo satirical newspaper. AQAP commander, Nasr Ibn Ali al-Ansi made the announcement in a video, with pictures of the two gunmen; Said and Cherif Kouachi in the background "When the heroes were assigned, they accepted. They promised and fulfilled," al-Ansi said. He praised that attack, saying it was revenge for Charlie Hebdo's depictions of the Prophet Mohammed.

And according to the video, Anwar al-Awlaki masterminded the attack before his death in 2011. If true, that means the attack was at least three years in the making. Al-Ansi blamed not only Charlie Hebdo, but also France and the United States in his statement.

"It is France that has shared all of America's crimes, It is France that has committed crimes in Mali and the Islamic Maghreb. It is France that supports the annihilation of Muslims in Central Africa in the name of race cleansing." al-Ansi added.

A week ago Wednesday, the newsroom of Charlie Hebdo was shattered in a gruesome attack that would leave 12 people dead and launch three days of terror in France.

The grief and cries for free speech reverberated around the world. So did questions about whether the newspaper should provocatively depict the Prophet Mohammed, an act many Muslims deem offensive.

But that's exactly what surviving staff members of Charlie Hebdo did -- selling its latest edition Wednesday with an image of a crying Prophet Mohammed. "All is forgiven," the cover reads. Such words could be cathartic for both sides of the debate. But freedom of speech in France apparently has its limits.

Source: CNN.com