Amedy Coulibaly, the Paris gunman who killed five people in two attacks in January, was given instructions to carry out the attacks via email, a new report revealed.
Nine months after the the string of terrorist attacks in the French capital, investigators revealed they had found an email on Coulibaly’s computer ordering him to “work alone” and “start again several times,” French news station BFMTV reported.
The email was received on Jan. 8 at 5:21 p.m., hours after he shot and killed a female police officer in Montrouge.
The email was deleted at 7 p.m., according to the report.
The next day, Coulibaly attacked a Kosher deli in Paris, killing four Jewish customers.
He was killed in a shootout with police, the same day the Kouachi brothers —the men behind the attack at the Paris office of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo — were killed.
Twelve people in total were killed in the terrorist attacks.
Although the message instructed Coulibaly to “act alone,” it mentioned trying to contact “zigoto,” which investigators believe could be a code name for the Kouachi brothers.
The message also left the choice of target up to Coulibaly’s discretion, instructing him to target somewhere outside of central Paris, possibly due to increased security after the Charlie Hebdo shooting, BFMTV reported.
The email message appears to confirm the existence of a commander abroad who ordered the attacks.
The sender used a fake, U.S.-based email account, making it impossible to establish his or her identity. The message is thought to have originated from Syria, according to the French report.
In a posthumous video released after the attack, Coulibaly claimed to be a supporter of the Islamic State terrorist group.
Coulibaly’s widow and suspected accomplice, Hayat Boumeddiene, is now believed to be in Syria.
• Kellan Howell can be reached at khowell@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.