With man he accused of terror links

Sacha Baron Cohen has settled the lawsuit with a man he falsely portrayed as a terrorist in his Bruno movie.

Palestinian grocer Ayman Abu Aita had sought millions of pounds in damages over the scene, which portrayed him as a member of militant Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade.

But his lawyers said he was a Christian and ‘a peace-loving person’ living in the West Bank unassociated wit the group, or any terrorist activity.

He took part in the 2009 film thinking he was giving an interview to a journalist about peace activism, his lawsuit said, but the way he was portrayed prompted death threats against him, damaged his business and made him fear for his family’s safety.

Baron Cohen went on to discuss his encounter with a 'terrorist' on David Letterman's talk show. Letterman was another defendant in the slander lawsuit.

Abu Aita’s attorney Joseph Peter Drennan said the case was ‘settled to the mutual satisfaction' of everyone involved, but declined to discuss the terms. Court documents show the case was settled on Wednesday.

Published: 21 Jul 2012