The question of who was behind the Charlie Hebdo attack appears to have been settled with an explicit claim of responsibility by Nasr bin Ali al-Ansi, a key leader in al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). There is a good deal of evidence that supports al-Ansi’s claim.

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula’s (AQAP) January 14 release of a video claiming responsibility for the deadly attack on the offices of Charlie Hebdo in Paris provides not only confirmation of its involvement, but also insight into the group’s methods of operation.

An Islamic State (IS)-linked Twitter account released a video showing Paris gunman Amedy Coulibaly pledging allegiance to the Islamic State (IS), displaying his weapons, and claiming a connection to Cherif and Said Kouachi, the Charlie Hebdo attackers, on January 11, 2014.

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) released a speech from one of its top Shariah officials, Harith bin Ghazi al-Nadhari, speaking on the attack at the offices of Charlie Hebdo in Paris, France, and threatening France with more operations if it does not stop "fighting" Islam and its symbols, and Muslims.

The terrible events in Paris reminded the world that extremist terror is still a serious threat. There are three points in particular that stand out from early reports about the attack and the attackers.