Your trusted source

The Sunni extremist organization Islamic State active in Syria and Iraq has claimed responsibility for an attack on the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo that killed 12 people, the Suriya al-En news agency said on Saturday, according to TASS.

Sheikh Abu Saad Ansari, the head of preachers in Islamic State, reportedly said during a Friday sermon in Iraq’s Mosul that the operation in France was a message to all member countries of the international coalition, Suriya al-En said.

“Today, we began attacks in France, but tomorrow it will be Great Britain, the United States and all others,” he was quoted as saying. In his words, the terrorist attack was a response to the death in bombings of dozens of mujahideen.

The Al-Safir daily said on Friday that the Lebanese intelligence services and security services of a number of other Arab states had warned their French colleagues about possible terrorist attacks. According to the newspaper, security measures had been tightened around diplomatic missions of France and other Western states in Beirut.

In his Friday message, Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah said the terrorist activities were “a serious challenge to the Islamic nation and the rest of the world.” Hezbollah is fighting with the Syrian government army against armed groups.

Earlier on Friday, Associated Press cited a member of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula as saying that the group had directed the attack on the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris. The group said the attack on the French magazine was "revenge for the honor" of Islam's Prophet Muhammad.