George Galloway exposes News of the World 'fake sheikh'

April 19, 2006

George Galloway, an MP in the British Parliament for Bethnal Green and Bow, has won a court battle allowing him to publish photos of the infamous News of the World "fake sheikh", undercover reporter Mazher Mahmood famed for setting up high-profile figures. George Galloway had a meeting with the reporter after being approached via a contact. Over dinner at the Dorchester hotel, Mazher is said by George Galloway to have asked leading questions over political party funding and to have solicited anti-semitic remarks. George Galloway became ever more suspicious, especially after seeing that the reporter's driver had a 'mouthful of gold teeth', as described in journalist Andrew Marr's book.

After threatening to release a photograph of the reporter, who has in the past tried hard to keep his identity secret, the News of the World sought an injunction against publication, claiming that they feared for his safety, and lost.

In a post on the Guardian newspaper's Comment is Free weblog, George Galloway said that Mazher "has crossed the cusp of reputable journalism into seeking to procure criminal acts".