Palestinian Sues 'Bruno' for $110M

Christian shopkeeper says he was slandered as terrorist
By Jane Yager,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 10, 2009 8:03 AM CST
Palestinian Sues 'Bruno' for $110M
British actor Sacha Baron Cohen, who plays the part of Bruno, poses earlier this year in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin as part of promotional activities of the movie "Bruno."   (AP Photo/Maya Hitij, File)

A Palestinian portrayed as a terrorist in Bruno is actually a Christian shopkeeper and activist, and he's suing for $110 million. Ayman Abu Aita, identified in Bruno as a member of the militant al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade, filed libel and slander suits last week against Sacha Baron Cohen, David Letterman, and CBS, among others, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

In a Late Show interview, Baron Cohen told Letterman he feared for his safety during a CIA-arranged meeting with a "terrorist" at a secret location on the West Bank. In reality, Abu Aita says, Baron Cohen interviewed him at a hotel in an area under Israeli control. The label "terrorist" is a "corrosive and calumnious slur against any young Palestinian who would be a political activist on the West Bank," said Abu Aita's lawyer. (More Sacha Baron Cohen stories.)

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