‘Sheikh of Wapping’ arrested in Czech Republic

Wednesday, 19 January 2005, 08:19

Czech media are reporting that the News of the World’s famous investigations editor, the “fake sheikh” Mahmood Mazher, was arrested last year in the Czech Republic. According to The Daily Czech:

Czech police together with the help of the Czech Intelligence Agency have detained a British journalist who was charged with “instigating a crime” in June 2004. Mahmood Mazher of News Of The World wanted to find out how lame the Czech authorities are when it comes to fight against organized crime.

The reporter was meeting people who make and sell fake documents, including passports and university diplomas. … When he was caught at the airport, the journalist also had a fake diploma from medical school.

Mazher is best known for disguising himself as an Arab sheikh to entrap various celebrities, notably Sophie Rhys-Jones, Countess of Wessex, whose PR firm was abusing its royal connections.

Mazher was crowned reporter of the Year in 1999, but has often been criticised for his more dubious “investigations”, which have involved instigating crimes which might not otherwise have happened, such as the alleged attempted kidnapping of Victoria Beckham.

Entry Filed under: Journalism