New footage emerges of Paris attackers making their escape
Kouachi brothers cry out, 'We have avenged the Prophet'; fire at police as they drive off after killing 12 at Charlie Hebdo
New footage emerged Tuesday of the January 7 attack on the offices of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, which left 12 dead. An accomplice killed another 5 people in two separate incidents.
The video, apparently shot from a nearby rooftop, shows the two terrorists, brothers Cherif and Said Kouachi, calmly preparing to drive away in their getaway car.
One of the men raises his fist and yells out, “We have avenged the Prophet!”
The brothers then patiently examine their rifles, reload, and get into the car.
They begin driving down a narrow street, but a police car pulls up in front of them with its sirens flashing, blocking their escape. Both attackers step out of the car and open fire on the cruiser, which backs away quickly.
The brothers get back into their car, and as shots ring out they drive off right in front of the police cruiser. The officers driving the car do not try to block their escape.
The Kouachi brothers and their friend, Amedy Coulibaly, the man who killed four hostages in the Paris grocery and a Paris policewoman the day before, died last Friday in clashes with French police. All three claimed ties to Islamic extremists in the Middle East — the Kouachis to al-Qaeda in Yemen and Coulibaly to the Islamic State group.
Two French police officials told The Associated Press that authorities were searching around Paris for the Mini Cooper registered to Hayat Boumeddiene, Coulibaly’s widow, who Turkish officials say is now in Syria.
One of the police officials said the Paris terror cell consisted of about 10 members and that “five or six could still be at large,” but he did not provide their names. The other official said the cell was made up of about eight people and included Boumeddiene.
Video has emerged of Coulibaly explaining how the attacks in Paris would unfold. French police want to find the person or persons who shot and posted the video, which was edited after Friday’s attacks.
Ties among the three attackers themselves date back to at least 2005, when Coulibaly and Cherif Kouachi were jailed together.
AP contributed to this report.