In the course of their murderous rampage yesterday in Paris, two of the Islamist shooters announced that they were acting in the name of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula or AQAP, the affiliate of Al Qaeda that operates in Yemen. Formed in 2009, AQAP merged existing Yemeni and Saudi jihadists after the Saudi Kingdom became too unsafe for them and they fled southwards. This suggests that AQAP feels eclipsed by ISIS, which has attracted so much coverage since last summer, and is determined to put itself back in the international spotlight with this act of mass murder, in broad daylight, in a major European capital.
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The massacre in France may be because Al Qaeda feels eclipsed by ISIS
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Charlie Hebdo boss named in extremists' magazine as target for murder
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Gunmen claimed they were acting for Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula
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Known as AQAP, it has become of the organisation's strongest branches
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The group is based in Yemen, which is perfectly suited to terror activities
The wildness of @placeholder provides plenty of remote places to use as training camps, where the group's highly proficient bomb makers can practice their craft.