Coulibaly claimed to be member of Islamic State

Amedy Coulibaly, the hostage taker at a kosher supermarket in Paris, told a French television station that he was a member of Islamic State, AFP reports.

Coulibaly telephoned BMFTV and carried out a telephone interview with them while the hostage situation was ongoing.

During the interview, which is yet to be broadcast, Coulibaly reportedly said that he had co-ordinated his attack with Cherif and Said Kouachi, suspects in the Charlie Hebdo massacre.

He told them he was a member of Islamic State, a group primarily active in Iraq and Syria but that also encourages followers to launch attacks at home.

However, Cherif Kouachi told BMFTV by telephone that his attack was financed by al-Qaeda in Yemen, a group that is opposed to Islamic State.

Yemeni officials have said that Said Kouachi, Cherif's brother, entered Yemen illegally and was trained there before slipping out of the country in 2012.