Kosher Grocery Gunman Amedy Coulibaly 'Pledges Islamic State Allegiance' In Video

Video Shows Kosher Grocery Gunman 'Pledging Allegiance To IS'
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The man who killed a police officer and four hostages at a kosher grocery, in the aftermath of the attack on the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, has appeared in a video apparently pledging allegiance to Islamic State (IS).

The SITE Intelligence Group said it had verified the seven-minute video, which shows a man resembling Amedy Coulibaly with a gun, exercising and giving speeches in front of an IS, also known as ISIL or ISIS, emblem.

It shows him in several different locations and wearing a number of outfits including traditional Islamic dress, combat fatigues and western clothing such as a black leather jacket, while he is also seen posing with automatic weapons.

Coulibaly took over the kosher grocery, demanding freedom for the brothers who carried out the massacre at newspaper Charlie Hebdo. At the time, the brothers were trapped in a printing house near Charles de Gaulle airport.

All three men were killed in nearly simultaneous raids by security forces.

In the video, Coulibaly defends the attacks.

"What we are doing is completely legitimate, given what they are doing," Coulibaly tells the camera in fluent French.

"You cannot attack and not expect retribution so you are playing the victim as if you don't understand what's happening."

Brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi killed 12 people at the Charlie Hebdo offices, led police on a chase for two days and were then cornered on Friday at a printing house near Charles de Gaulle Airport.

Separately, Coulibaly shot a policewoman to death and attacked the Paris kosher market, threatening more violence unless police let the Kouachis go. Four hostages died.

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A man cries near the scene of the kosher supermarket grocery attack

Coulibaly's widow Hayat Boumeddiene, who has been named as an accomplice, is believed to have traveled to a Turkish city near the Syrian border and then all traces of her were lost.

Boumeddiene is also thought to be involved with Coulibaly in the murder of a female police officer south of Paris on Thursday morning.

At the end of the video, Coulibaly calls for others to carry out similar attacks.

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A still from the video

It is unclear when it was recorded though his language implies it was after he killed the police officer on Thursday.

“The brothers of our team were split into two groups…I went out a bit against the police. If we did things a bit together and a bit separately it was to have more impact," he says.

The radio in the background appears to be a news report of the attack on the CHarlie Hebdo offices, which happened on Wednesday.