PARIS, Jan. 11 (UPI) — Gunman Amedy Coulibaly, who allegedly participated in the recent terrorist attacks in France, pledged loyalty to the Islamic State (IS) in a video released Sunday.
Coulibaly is one of the three responsible for terrorist attacks in Paris in early January. Coulibaly was the gunman who killed a French police officer before killing four hostages in kosher market during a standoff with police. He was shot by police when they raided the store. The attack happened in apparent coordination with the attack on the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo which left 12 dead.
In the video he made before the attack, Coulibaly said he worked in coordination with the men who carried out the Charlie Hebdo attacks Chérif and Saïd Kouachi.
“We did some things together, some things separate — that way we would have more of an impact … we arranged it to synchronize [our movements] so we would go out at the same time, which was not a problem,” he said.
Coulibaly, who called himself “A Soldier of the Caliphate,” said “I pledge allegiance to the caliph” in reference to IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
Coulibaly said the attacks were justified as retribution for the coalitions in Iraq and Syria that are executing air strikes against IS.
Coulibaly was heard on an open phone line berating the hostages at the kosher market for paying taxes to fund a government that wages war against Muslims.
His partner, Hayat Boumeddiene, who is believed to have helped him to plan the attacks has eluded capture and is believed to be in Syria.
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