MOSCOW, January 10 (Sputnik) – Yemeni authorities will be looking into the possible role al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) played in the recent terrorist attack on the office of the Charlie Hebdo magazine in France, Yemen's Spokesperson in Washington, Mohammed Albasha, has announced.
"Government of #Yemen has launched a full investigation on the possible #AQAP links to the #Paris #France #CharlieHebdo attacks," Albasha wrote on his Twitter page Friday.
#Breaking Government of #Yemen has launched a full investigation on the possible #AQAP links to the #Paris #France #CharlieHebdo attacks
— Mohammed Albasha (@Yemen411) January 9, 2015
On Thursday, US officials stated that one of the suspects in the Charlie Hebdo attack, Said Kouachi, travelled to Yemen in 2011 and had direct contacts with al-Qaeda.
The two brothers were Frenchmen of Algerian descent.
The third suspect has surrendered himself to the police, saying he had an alibi and did not take part in the attack, which took place on Wednesday and resulted in the death of 12 people, with another 11 having been injured.
Prior to Wednesday's attack, the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine posted a caricature of the leader of the Islamic State militant group on its Twitter page. The French magazine had previously received several threats from radical Islamists over its publication of caricatures of prophet Muhammad.
