. >> a number of europeans have traveled to yemen to link up with al qaeda in the yemen peninsula, an affiliate of osama bin laden's ideology. they have trained europeans to take art in terrorism before, but not in europe itself. this may be the first example in france. >> there is the third gunmen who took hostages today in a jewish supermarket in paris after earlier killing a policewoman. he claimed to be linked to the islamic state. >>[speaking french] >> and yet the questions remain. was al qaeda in yemen really behind this? or was it the islamic state? or just individuals? above all, why, when all the suspects were known to police, were these outrages not prevented? >> i speak with the senior director for defense policy on the national security council. under president bush and under president obama. he is now on the council. these men were known to the police. and yet this still happened. it is incredibly hard for intelligence and security services to stop these kinds of attacks. >> it is a question of capacity on one hand. there are thousands of foreign fighters coming in and o

believe the link is, other than the obvious, they may have both had ties to terrorists in the yemen peninsula. did they know each other? >> reporter: yeah, they knew each other and they had contact by traces of dna with the two brothers and the individual that was at the supermarket in the same flat. so there's a lot of evidence of connections, they were charged in similar crimes what is being dissected right now as we speak and i just heard another take on that is how much communications today there were between these two situations, it is believed possibly there was texting maybe even calling and even triggering. one thing that's been put out now is that this all ended is because both of the gunman groups decided to move first and take the police a bit by surprise, so there was coordination on the terrorist side, there was coordination on the police side as well. the police could not let the situation to the outside of paris go down and let the situation in paris continue for fear that all of the hostages would have been killed. >> dana? >> greg, i wonder since you're there in paris, if you

yemen from 2011. al qaeda in the arabian peninsula. and jim, yemen has been such a hotspot for american military security forces ever since the "uss cole" bombing, well before 9/11. and it doesn't seem as if we've been able to get a grasp on exactly the training terror ground it really is. >> no that's right. it's been such a disruptive place for our forces to try to do anything. there's been some successes, thomas. as you know we killed anwar al awlaki who was an american-born -- >> correct. >> -- phony cleric there, in a drone attack. >> that was in 2011 i believe. >> that's right. and he was the international inspire-recruiter for these guys certainly in the west because he spoke such fluent english, he was an american. so he was recruiting guys. he was responsible for recruiting major nidal hasan at the ft. hood attack and others. so you know our intelligence people and our military operators took him out, which was a leader trying to kill americans. so, this guy might have got to him, might have tried to make contact with him, migh

the president failed to mention yemen-based al-qaeda in the arabian peninsula which claimed responsibility for the attacks in paris. >> we stand united with those around the world who have been targeted by terrorist. >> for the latest on yemen.

there is al-qaeda and arab peninsula and yemen which is in a situation and isis has its tentacles here and there in the region and many young saudis go off and join some of these militant groups these islamic militants groups like isis and others and there is a stress there within saudi society that causes small numbers of saudis to go off and join some of these militant groups and saudis have an internal problem about 7, 8, 9 years ago with thousands of militants and they were put down by the very able security services. [captioning change] >> stability is guaranteed. there's never been eight doubt about stability in saudi arabia. they've had several successions after the king was assassinated and occupation of the holy mosque. they've had stress says but made a smooth transition. the real issue is policy and addressing the internal disparities in terms of income, jobs self satisfaction among young saudis. you see on the internet and social media there's a tremendous universe of social media conversations going on. they are not revolutionary but activists. many young saudis expressing

yemen in 2011 he got more than just weapons training. he got the attention of top leadership of the dangerous al qaeda affiliate there known as al qaeda in the arabian peninsula or aqap. >> it tells me that he had assess to senior levels of the al qaeda organization in yemen. who else had access? it tells me that awlaki was in contact with people we didn't know about. >> reporter: the u.s. assuming that kouachi met the anwar al awlaki who led aqap external operations. it would have been just months before awlaki was killed in a u.s. drone strike. the u.s. is also trying to determine if kouachi may have even met with ibrahim al aseery. kouachi may have received some bomb-making training. with a french passport and the ability to return to europe he was a prime aqap recruiting target. >> there are a thousand questions here that an intelligence professional is going to have to sift through in the coming weeks. we haven't even hit the tip of the iceberg yet. >> reporter: u.s. officials believe it was only said that went to yemen. but hours before he died his younger brother, cherif told french media, he too, traveled there. >> translator: i was sent me cherif kou

and of course yemen is the home to the very violent al qaeda affiliate al qaeda in the arabian peninsula. this is concerning. said they believe, got weapons training there in handling weapon possibly even in bomb making. in 2011 the leader of external operations for al qaeda in yemen, anwar al aiwa i can, the american-born cleric who has had threatened the united states was said to be behind several attacks. he was killed in an american drone strike. not clear if said ever met ahim. but he goes to yemen, gets weapons training. now the question for u.s. and french intelligence how close was the affiliation to al qaeda here? was he inspired by al qaeda? or worst scenario was this attack in paris directed by the al qaeda affiliate in yemen? these are the questions the u.s. is struggling with right now. a little built of confusion. the french justice minister says her information is that one of the brothers wouldn't say which one, travelled to yemen in 2005. but i have to tell you, u.s. officials are working off the presumption today that the 2011 travel date that they say they got from fren

as you well know al qaeda in the arabian peninsula in yemen plotted several attacks against the american homeland. all of them were basically discovered by the americans. we do not know whether the al qaeda in the arabian peninsula in yemen ordered cherif to carry out the particular mission. we have plenty of information that both al qaeda and yemen and isis, the so called islamic state called on their followers to carry out attacks against france. because france is seen today as the spearhead in the fight against militant of al qaeda variety. whether in west africa, mali north africa syria. and also because the culture war. the kug churl struggle that has taken place in france itself. as you well know france in the eyes of many militants, seems to be basically imposing the so called hyper secularism on society and feel their own identity culture is being targeted bit french state. that's why the targeted charlie the newspaper has been seen as a symbol. >> and just to continue in this information that you're sharing with us today. al qaeda and yemen has been the target of much of america

is it a claim of responsibility propaganda attempt by aqap al qaeda in the arabian peninsula based in yemen>> i think it's a propaganda attempt and claim of responsibility. how commanded it was on a day to day basis from yemen. it's unclear. they are saying this went back years but the way sort of modern terrorist attacks have been operating is the home base gives the operators a great deal of autonomy, they tell them do an attack but don't necessarily stay in daily phone call communications with their operatives. they give them a lot of initiative. so what i was saying earlier and you played that clip earlier, the biggest takeaway from this al qaeda is going out of its way to make sure the world knows that it hasn't gone away and it is still capable of carrying out spectacular attacks and it is not a forgotten organization that has been surpassed by isis. for the last year isis has been dominating headlines. isis controls a state, something that al qaeda since the days in afghanistan hasn't managed to do. isis controls a large part of syria and large part of iraq. it is lodged in. people f

even al qaeda in the arabian peninsula and yemen does not see eye to eye with isis. yet after the attacks in paris we are seeing basically followers and basically militants of both sides saying look we have the same target. it's the same enemy, we could unify and unite against the far enemy, meaning the united states and europe. and the reality is in fact isis now would like to basically show that its followers and supporters can basically -- would be able to carry out an attack against the americans in the same way that al qaeda in the arabian peninsula, which is part of the al qaeda parent organization the ayman al zawahiri has been able either directly or indirectly to motivate and trigger the paris attacks. >> is it your concern or worry that this reach of terror is growing even more so following what took place in paris and now with this bulletin that that serves as a great tool of recruiting that perhaps it becomes even more appealing to those who feel disenfranchised or who are particularly vulnerable who are easy prey and this really serves isis or al qaeda w

yemen's president, as we know was allied with the u.s. and the fight against terror groups like al qaeda in the a arabian peninsula that operates out of yemen and also took responsibility for the attacks in paris. while the huge sympathies oppose -- huthis and opposed and fought with al qaeda in yemen they are said to be supported by iran so that again is a major concern for the united states and saudi arabia's well and saudi arabia's king abdullah, passed away had been a strong ally of the u.s. today his successor, king salman said, that saudi arabia will not change course and continue with its same policies including its alliance with the united states. but again, in yemen there is concern that iran will try to exert greater influence and that terror groups, like isis, like al qaeda will try to gain more power by using chaos and havoc to influence the already volatile and instability in that country. jon? jon: john huddy joining us from jerusalem. thank you. jenna: the other big story, the new king of saudi arabia pledging to stay the course after the death of his brother king abdullah. king salman joining for solidarity among arab nation

and french looking at their background including the connection to al-qaeda in the arabian peninsula in yemen. >> that's the most disturbing part of this, is that one of those brothers trained with al-qaeda in yemen. now, this terrorist group would not have allowed them to train with him if they hadn't recruited him and swear allegiance to them, so it's highly likely he joined this group and they were a stakeholder to some degree in this terrorist attack. if that's the case that stock is going to rise in the global jihadist movement. >> there's a little rivalry going on between al-qaeda and qap as it's called as well as isis for example, even though they may have similar objectives they're competing for support. >> there's a huge amount of rivalry. a war of words, recently al-qaeda and yemen said that isis wasn't legitimate so they're looking to restore the al-qaeda brand to the headlines here. >> it's a very disturbing development. bob bair, what worries you the most as you see this situation unfold? three of these terrorists are dead. one woman, an accomplice is as large. there may be other

yemen. isis competing for influence in a country now dominated by al qaeda in the arabian peninsula. of members in yemen compared to dozens from isis. >> they are promoting themselves as isis. rebranding of a new group. the understanding is they started recruiting from within aqap ranks. but now they are trying to recruit within the tribal areas. >> reporter: the president used his state of the union address to call on congress for new authority. >> this effort will take time. it will require focus. but we will succeed. tonight i call on this congress to show the world that we are united in this mission by passing a resolution to authorize the use of force against isil. >> reporter: since the start of military action in action the president has already authorized the deployment of 3,000 troops to iraq. u.s. warplanes have conducted more than 1,900 air strikes. the president's new call continues a delicate constitutional balancing act for the white house. simultaneously arguing the u.s. needs new authorization while continuing to expand the war under the old one, dating back to the 9/

yemen has already been a staging ground for jihadist attacks, most recently in paris. the two brothers who attacked satirical magazine charlie hebdo were most likely trained by al qaeda in the arabian peninsula in yemen in 2011. that's why the situation over there right now is so dangerous. the president has been a staunch ally of the west, and now the u.s. has lost its last reliable ally in the country. i cannot imagine how they will go on fighting al qaeda successfully without the help of a strong local actor now. >> who is supplying the rebels and the government with weapons and money, and besides al qaeda, stands to benefit the most from it alien and? >> i think that currently, iran is benefiting from the situation. there's a competition going on region-wide between iran and saudi arabia and how the arabia has lost its former influence in the country. most importantly because it had a fallout with the local muslim brotherhood ever since it began fighting the brotherhood in the wider region in 2012. that is less saudi arabia is supporting some tribes but -- that is why saudi arabia is supporting some tribes, but without much success. on the other hand, the tribe houthis have taken over th

i would look to see, well is that really yemen, arabian peninsula, would have jumped on it and takent. they're very good doing that. they didn't do that. so it was it to throw off the trail? but again itch they were in syria and they were training in that sort of environment then it might start leaning towards isis again. >> would al qaeda have recruited them or would they beaffiliated with them do you think, mia? >> well i think i saw something that ruben tweeted earlier that in 2008 there were allegations that -- that shareef kouachi may have been trying to get to iraq to train with al qaeda in iraq. or there was some affiliation he was arrested with a large group of individuals in france at the same time. so the question then becomes, isis and al qaeda in iraq are loosely affiliated because one is a parent organization. but al qaeda in iraq was still an al qaeda group. and it wasn't isis. which has been for all intents and purposes kicked out of al qaeda for being too radical. >> appreciate it. coming up the people of paris take to the streets in support of "charlie hebdo" as fran

yemen. al qaeda in the arabian peninsula. magazine "inspire" ran a wanted dead or alive poster which included stephane charbonnier from charlie hebdo magazine. he was killed in the paris attack. >> "inspire" had called for charbonnier's death previously and that fact is potentially significant. it also means that he was a target for other groups not just for al qaeda in the arabian peninsula. >> 2014 was rife with isolated terror attacks. the sydney australia, horstage siege which left the gunmen and two hostages dead. in ottawa canada, where a gunman killed a soldier. a man with a gun wrapped in an isis flag killed four people in a jewish museum in brussels. what do they have in common with the paris attack? >> this is an islamist-inspired attack focusing on somebody or an organization that they believe has committed some sort of blasphemy. >> many of those other incidents came after a call from isis for lone wolf attacks on civilians in any u.s.-allied country, but does paris fit that pattern? one analyst says no. >> the wa

in yemen, houthi reynolds have taken control of the presidential palace. al-qaeda in the arabian peninsula is strengthening its stronghold in the south. from wart, robert worth, a fellow gregory johnson a buzzfeed writer and author of "the last refuge: yemen and al-qaeda and air abe i can't" a professor at columbia university. robert, let me begin with you. tell me what we know about what happened in libya and what does it mean? >> well, a group claiming to be the libyan branch of isis carried out the attack toe corinthia hotel. it's unclear exactly who this group is. but the credibility of the claim seems to be pretty high because they announced it just as the attack was beginning. and it killed a number of people, and it raises questions about how wide the sway of this group is. in a sense, it doesn't really matter whether it was centrally planned from israel's -- isis's headquarters or an affiliated group in libya. this group has tremendous -- its idea has tremendous resonanswer across the region. you have people with various different jihadi faxes allowing themselves with isis who seem

the terrorist, by the way, also that they were influenced by al qaeda in yemen also known at al qaeda and the arabian peninsula. al qaeda and yemen threatened more attacks neil, against other western targets. so there is a very, very real sense of danger here in france and across the region but again the search continues for that woman. they are questioning the kouachi brothers' wives because they've been in close contact with her in the part and hope perhaps they can help lead to her whereabouts. >> rick is there a fear she's already out of the country, though? >> well, certainly a possibility. i mean they're checking obviously every bus station every train station. she managed to vanish into the crowd somehow, even though it was surrounded by police office. there may be some sort of underground network that she can take advantage of to make her way out of the country. at this point, neil we simply don't know. >> rick, thank you very much. >>> in a grocery store in paris, in an office cafe in paris. not long ago a marathon in boston. terrorists are targeting not so obvious what they call soft targets. and for

a power vacuum in yemen does benefit al qaeda in the arabian peninsula which has been using yemen as a base of operations. >>> happening today, president obama delivers the state of union address in primetime. he faces a new political environment. for the first time he faces a congress completely under republican control, but a resurgence in the economy and slight bump in poll numbers are bringing a fresh wave of determination. jim acosta has more from the white house. >> reporter: john the white house is already shared much of what will be in the president's state of the union address over the last couple weeks, an official told me there are surprises in store. the white house says the theme of the speech is middle class economics and address is filled with pitches from the president like the tax breaks he is proposing. the tax breaks and the free community college add up to $200 billion. the president would pay for that with new taxes on the rich and fees on big banks. we are also learning more about the president's state of the union message and the white house announced alan gros

peninsula. cherif was telling our cnn affiliate they were trained in yemen, also financed by aqap. those were his words. now, why did he take his brother's passport? his brother, as you know we're talking about cherif his passport was revoked back in 2008 because basically he had a conviction. he spent three years in prison for being part of a jihadist recruitment ring. so that is one piece of the puzzle we are learning. obviously many people asking they did not -- the kouachi brothers did not have full-time jobs. going to that question where did they get the weapons, the money, where did the funding come from? exactly what you were just talking with our fred pleitgen. two kalashnikovs are around $3,000. we heard from the prime minister recently. he thinks there's more people behind it. not necessarily a trigger person but perhaps someone who could help organize, help fund this side of the operation. that takes you from al qaeda in the arabian peninsula. and there is a new face to add to this ever so complex puzzle. and this man, you said he is a 29-year-old french national. we are

>> scott, i can't remember a time where al quaida in the arabian peninsula al quaida in yemen has made a claim of responsibility that has turned out to be false. so i take their claim with some significant credibility, yes. >> pelley: why is it significant that this would be connected to aqap al quaida? >> two things. one is aqap has some of the most sophisticated bombs in the terrorist world and their ability to send fighters to conduct an attack also means they might be able to send bombs forward for an an attack. these are bolts that can't be detected by x-ray or dogs. so that's one reason. the other is this is going to put a lot of money in aqap's pockets. one of the ways you raise money in the terrorist world is to have a successful attack. >> pelley: what are security officials in the united states going to have to think about after all this? >> one of the lessons for me this week is we have been so focused on i.s.i.s., and here we've had what looks to be an al quaida-directed attack. we can't forget about al quaida. and while the chances of an attack are greater in europe becaus

a week after the massacre in paris, al qaeda in the arabian peninsula in yemen claimed responsibility the attack. in an online video, a man saying he represented al qaeda said the paris assault was ordered by the terror group's chief commander. we are joined by our middle east expert. thanks for coming in. what you make of this video, and his claim that al qaeda is behind the massacre? >> we need to be very skeptical here. sounds like some people are trying to jump on the bandwagon and profit from the situation. of course, europe has been shocked by these terrorist assaults. it seems that these people on the edge of the southern arabian and slap in -- henan celeb -- peninsula are trying to profit from the attack. immediately after the attacks al qaeda and islamic state issued statement saying, we were not in charge, but we liked it we wish other people to do the same thing. when i watch this clip, you see on the left top corner the flag of the islamic state, which is an arch enemy of al qaeda. it doesn't really make sense that this guy from al qaeda makes propaganda for the islamic st

officials say said kouachi spent time in yemen in 2011 training with al quaida in the arabian peninsula and late today that group known as aqap posted video praising the attack. they said the leadership of aqap have directed the operation and chosen their target carefully. officials have not verified that. in a phone interview earlier today with the french television network, a man reporting to be cherif kouachi made a similar claim. "i cherif kouachi," the caller said, "was sent by al quaida in yemen. i had been there and it was sheikh anwar awlaki who financed me. may allah have mercy on his soul." the french prosecutor said cherif spent time there in 2011. it's not clear if they met face to face with awlaki, he was killed by a drone strike in 2011. law enforcement and intelligence agencies have spent days looking for potential ties to the u.s. they found no co-conspirators with threats here connected to french suspects. >> pelley: bob orr, thanks very much. mike morell is the former number two at the c.i.a. he's our cbs news senior security contributor. michael, is it a credible clai

yemen's capital sanaa. >> reporter: this attack took place in paris. but it appears it could have originated thousands of miles way, al qaeda the not arabian peninsula whichbased in yemen said in a statement that it directed the attack. a few hours after that statement, the aq a.p., which is considered by the u.s. as the most active branches of al qaeda in the world hailed what they called the battle of paris. >> translator: some of the french people were impolite with the profits of god so some of god's warriors rows up and taught them the manners of limiting freedom of speech. it's better he you stop your aggression on muslims if you reject you will never enjoy pa peace and security. >> reporter: the clearest indication yet came from one. >> reporter: brothers speaking to a french media outlet. >> translator: we are the defenders of the profit. i was send by al qaeda in yemen. i went to yemen and i was financed. >> reporter: he is refer to this man. u.s.-born yemeni cleric who was killed by a u.s. drone attack in september 2011 north of yep en. he was described by western security agencies as the main influencer recruiter and prop began assistsnistpropa

and that's what aqap al quaida and the aarabian peninsula, this group in yemen tied to the attacks in paris, they fall into that category. the group closely affiliated with core al quaida and, really that's the group that's been the most operationally active over the past several years. >> charlie: especially in trying to attack us. >> exactly. so as we look at the range of threats and the range of groups, whether in pakistan afghanistan or in the middle east yemen syria or across north africa we have been focused at the national counterterrorism center which of the groups are focused on carrying out attacks in the united states or for that fact europe and apaq is the group we're most concerned about and also i.s.i.s. that's come on the scene in the last year. >> charlie: among other things, they're calling for young men and women to attack. >> exactly. unfortunately, the attack in paris in some ways is the culmination of trends that we've seen over the past several years. the calling for, as you say charlie, smaller-scale attacks. so these groups in yemen, for example saying wherever

yemen. with the capital, sinai. this is dangerous for you. first of all, be careful. what is the connection over there between the kouachi brothers and al qaeda in the arabian peninsula,ased in yemen, where you are? >> reporter: the kouachi brothers said they were working for al qaeda in the arabian peninsula and said one of the key figures killed by u.s. drone strike in 2011 anwar al-awlaki was in fact the man who helped organize what they were doing. that was a sentiment echoed by the statement we heard in the last 72 hours from aqap. an 11 minute video in which they said al-awlaki has been the organizer. the key thing for investigators though is to work out if that's true. they have the two bits of matching jigsaw can't actually fit them together at this stage. that's the key for yemeni officials to answer here. they're working with western allies. one said as early as august 2009 the elder brother, said did come to yemen. that's helpful because it means it's possible as now two witnesses are telling us he briefly roomed with a man called the underwear bomber in detroit in 2009. but more details still have to emerge here. most key is this interior ministry official

diminish the safe haven that groups like the islamic state or even al qaeda in the arabian peninsula in yemen may have so it may force us to be more aggressive what we do against the ideology of the terrorist groups. >> axelrod: juan zarate in our washington bureau, juan, thank you. >> thank you, jim. >> axelrod: now to the terror in africa which is reaching a new level of chilling if that is possible. the group boko haram is suspected of a bombing in nigeria today that killed nearly 20 people, it was a suicide attack carried out by a girl about ten years old. this comes days after another attack that left hundreds, possibly thousands dead, here is debora patta. >> reporter: this past week saw what could be boko haram's deadliest massacre to date marking another hideous milestone in the group's the increasingly violent campaign. the latest massacre is in the baga in the far northeastern region of nigeria. they estimate hundreds of people, possibly as many as 2,000 could have been killed. we are hearing reports people >> we are hearing reports people going to the village are walking over dead

we're doing this in revenge for the killing of anwar al alacki the head of al qaeda in yemen in the arabian peninsula. the french authorities believe and u.s. authorities believe the older brother went to train in yemen with al qaeda in 2011. so another comment from the attackers making that direct connection two days ago when the shooting happened they told another eye witness tell the media, we're al qaeda in yemen. so they are advertising that fact fact. >> as jim was saying, one of the brothers did train in yemen and "charlie hebdo," members of their cartoon staff had been wanted people by that terrorist organization. >> the younger of the two kouachi brothers spent time in prison in france. this was someone well known to authorities before any of this went down. as jim has been reporting and we've been reporting as well according to a member of parliament in french television the two brothers saying we're prepared to die as martyrs. >> we're fortunate to have some of our very best in paris helping me out to explain the situation to you. we have one of the only u.s. reporters at the scene. we hav

looking at is what used to be the country of yemen, an iranian shiite sect in the back door of the oil producing sunni arabs and we have now died in the arabian peninsulaen. the loss of government control leads us exposed to terrorist attacks of two different varieties. stuart: two groups of bad guys are really controlling yemen. >> another example of what happened in somalia with breakdown of the government and the breakdown of the government to libya. these are an arctic territories, we see them in what used to be syria and iraq, it is happening all over the middle east as the united states withdraws. >> what is unclear to me is what the obama administrator should have done. with the public support sending in troops to prop up the government in yemen? >> i don't know the we had unlimited ability to affect the situation but what the obama administration did was undercut the president in the euphoria of the arab spring, brought down a government that was popularly elected in the state department in a free and fair election and replaced it with instability. that is what we did in egypt too. we went from bad to worse and probably alienated everybody in y

yemen during 2011 he got more than just weapons training. he got the attention of top leadership of the al qaeda affiliate there, known as al qaeda in the arabian peninsulas me that he had access to senior levels of the al qaeda organization in yemen. who else had access? was he there with somebody? did he travel with somebody else? number two, it tells me that awlaki was in contact with people we didn't know about. >> reporter: the u.s. is trying to put the pieces together. the working assumption is that kouachi met with anwr awlaki the american born cleric who led external operations. it would have been months before awlaki was killed in a u.s. drone strike. the u.s. is also trying to determine if kouachi may have met with aqap's master bombmaker, according to u.s. officials. kouachi may have received some bomb making training. with a french passport, and the ability to return to europe he was a prime aqap recruiting target. >> there were a thousand questions here that an intelligence professional is going to have to sift through, and we haven't even hit the tip of the iceberg yet. >> reporter: u.s. officials believe it was only said that went to yemen

there is al-qaeda and arab peninsula and yemen which is in a situation and isis has its tentacles here there in the region and many young saudis go off and join some of these militant groups these islamic militants groups like isis and others and there is a stress there within saudi society that

yemen. a western diplomat says al qaeda in the arabian peninsula is getting stronger in yemen and recruiting more to carry out more attacks against the west. the group says it orchestrated the paris attack years ago. here's cnn's nick paton walsh. >> reporter: what is ski for french investigators to swiftly establish the links in reality between here yemen, and those attacks in france. al qaeda and the arabian peninsula's 11-minute statement suggests a u.s. citizen was in fact operationally running the attack who they call the blessed battle of paris in their own sick terminology. what is vital for french investigators to work out after that 2011 death, there were continued conversations or resources passed from here yemen, to the kouachi brothers. we know potentially one came here as early as 2009 and maybe cherif potentially traveling under his brother, older brother said's passport came near 2011 and may have returned to france with tens of thousands of dollars. that's vital information because there are other cells around europe. do they have links to the al qaeda hotbed here of yemen? k

yemen -- they are serious and significant. the greatest threat to the homeland we believe, is coming out of aqap or al qaeda in the arabian peninsula away from that i fear for the consequences. >> i want everybody to stand by. we have major breaking news here in "the situation room." >>> the saudi king has died this according to an official announcement that just aired oir saudi state tv. the nextkey u.s. ally in the middle east. the former chairman of the house intelligence committee is still with us. we know that the king had been gravely ill. we didn't know when he would die. it's official he's dead. the ramifications are significant. >> they are. i will tell you i think the saudis did this very well. in the last three, four months they have had senior level delegations coming to washington, d.c. all in preparation. i think everyone knew the king was not long for this world. it will have significant ramifications. hopefully, we will see no disruption we wouldn't see fighting within the royal family. most of that has been dealt with. they were i thought, very very good about making sure that they made their intentions clear to su

al qaeda in the arabian peninsula based in yemen has been able to capitalize on that to increase their build recruits. >>> happening today, president obama delivers the state of the union address in primetime. he will do so facing a new political environment. for the first time he will speak to the congress under complete republican control. cnn's jim acosta has the preview of the speech. >> reporter: john the white house shared much of what is in the state of the union address, there are still surprises in store. the white house says the theme is middle class economics and filled with tax breaks he spoke about for middle income earners. the tax credits add up to $200 billion. he would pay for that with new taxes for the rich and fees on the big banks. we are learning more about the message. alan gross, the american freed from the cuban prison to normalize relations with the two countries, he will be in the first lady's box. white house owefficials say the president is feeling embolden with the economy and executive actions on immigration and cuba performed well in the polls. the appro

also shares a border with yemen and the collapse of the saudi-backed yemeni government there and the future ofus counter-terrorism operations against al qaeda and arabian peninsula based in yemen is sure to be a topic of ongoing conversations. the saudi kingdom say counter-weight against iran, and is providing training facilities for moderate rebels the u.s. hopes will do bart against the assad regime and isis. >> axelrod: major garrett reporting tonight from new delhi. thank you. the crisis in yukawa escalated today with a rocket attack that killed dozens. it happened in the port city of mariupol, now a crucial target for the russian-backed rebels who rejected a peace deal with the government of ukraine yesterday. here's charlie d'agata. >> reporter: chaos struck in a matter of minutes shattering the calm of the wintry saturday morning in mariupol. out of nowhere, rockets slammed into residential neighborhoods, markets, even schools. bodies lay strewn on the streets. ukrainian officials said more than three dozen people were killed 100 or more wounded. "people were laying on the floor and they weren't moving," said this resident. "many more carried away and the

then in 2009, the forces of al qaeda and saudi arabia and yemen, joined and joined what is now called al qaeda in the arabian peninsula. they described that group as the most active and most dangerous. they managed to have strong holds in yemen and southeast. they took advantage of the power vacuum when this country witnessed mass protest so they did expand. however they have lost some of the strong holds in the years that happened and they are now concentrated in the province province of al daeba. daeba described trying to gather sympathizer in europe. they called on individuals to carry out such attacks and in paris there were only two individuals who carried out such a mass killing in paris. >> okay, for now omar al saleh i'm say thank you very much. but indeed we'll be getting a lot more from this angle to the story. dominated the headlines for days now. we'll get much more from omar of course here at al jazeera. now, a u.s. judge has dismissed the lawsuit seeking compensation from the u.n. for haitian victims of a cholera epidemic. thousands of victims from the dumping of waste from a contractor's camp. dominic k

experts believe yemen is tipping to a failed state. al qaeda in the arabian peninsula and al qaeda in yemen is the organization that has al qaeda's best bombmaker and the man who developed and designed and made the underpants bomb attempting to bring down a plane in detroit years ago. when this organization and its leader who is not only the leader of al qaeda in yemen, but the number two in al qaeda, globally makes a threat like this it is a real threat and should be taken seriously. the turmoil in yemen right now plays into al qaeda's hands. the houthis who have taken control forced a new deal with the president giving them more power will likely enflame the passions of the tribesmen. when we look back three years ago, the president back then in yemen was almost killed in the mosque inside the presidential palace the al qaeda managed to take control of three states inside yemen. more instability as we have seen them grow as the tight groups grow in iraq and syria. what is happening in yemen. the instability in the capital and lack of clarity of where the country is g

but an even deeper national security worry as yemen rebels al qaeda in the peninsula head quartered in yemen and claim to the paris "charlie hebdo" attacks has a dangerous advantage. >> when there is turmoil, it's great for aqap because everyone is focussing on internally in the country and aqap kind of sits in the shadows and continues to have some safe haven, continue to train. >> so what to do now, especially about al qaeda in yemen? u.s. officials say the situation is say perilous right now, all they can do is watch and wait. john, zain? >> barbara starr at the pentagon. >>> an explosion wounded at least 14 people. >> this is the latest in a series of mystery explosions. this is according to police there. security services called the explosion a terrorist act and launching an investigation. >> a push monday in the fight for control over some regions. the country's prime minister says russian troops and military equipment moved into the area to aided separatists. >> the tanks and rocket systems were included in that transfer. he says that the equipment is not sold in local street ma

al qaeda and the arabian peninsula in yemen according to its leader says it is responsible for the attack. said and cherif kouachi believed to have been involved in that. they have also said they were connected with that al qaeda chapter. the search continues for any other clues. what people are looking at right now in the official authorities here is where the guns and where the money came from. it is believed they came from outside hoping to fuel the terror that this city saw a couple of days ago. if you want a copy of the charlie hebdo newspaper edition you can do it on ebay it will cost you now $1,100. >> thank you, greg. to another top story murder by poison. a chilling plot to kill house speaker john boehner uncovered by the fbi. this man you see here 44-year-old michael hoyt wanted to put something in the house speaker's drink and shoot him with a pistol because he was mean to him. he was a bartender at a country club. he was fired in october and he blamed boehner for it. when he went he told him he was jesus christ. record shows he has a history of mental illness. hoyt is charged

yemen intensified today. the country's been a stronghold for al-qaeda in the arabian peninsula, one of the most active and dangerouss of the islamic terror network. today, violence rocked the country. gunfire and explosions erupted in yemen's capital city, sanaa, as government and shiite rebels battled near the presidential palace. streets emptied and the heavily armed rebels, known as houthis seized control of state run media. the houthis have been in a tense standoff with government forces since taking over much of sanaa last september. since then, the u.s. backed government of president abed rabbo mansour hadi has seen its influence severely weakened. the shiite rebels have now carved out large swaths of northern yemen and extended their reach westward. they've vowed to wipe out the sunni forces of al-qaeda in the arabian peninsula, which holds sway in much of central yemen. a.q.a.p. has claimed responsibility for a number of terrorist attacks, including the "charlie hebdo" shootings in paris. for more on what drives this violence and yemen's links to global terror, i'm joined by abdulwahab alkebsi, of the cente