Rupert Murdoch attacked with shaving foam at MPs hearing...

[dutchman]

The Commons culture, media and sport select committee hearing featuring Rupert Murdoch and James Murdoch today has been disrupted by an attacker.



The session was interrupted after two and half hours by the demonstrator, who has now been detained by police.

The man in his 20s, named Johnnie Marbles, is said to have emerged from the side of Rupert Murdoch and hit the 80-year-old with a paper plate covered in shaving foam.

Murdoch's wife Wendi then jumped up and took the plate, and threw it back at the assailant. There appears to have been no one hurt in the attack but James Murdoch is said to be angry that the police failed to protect his father.

After the culprit stepped back, he apparently told Rupert quietly: "You naughty billionaire."

The last post on Marbles's Twitter page said: "It is a far better thing that I do now than I have ever done before #splat."

News Corporation founder Rupert Murdoch had earlier admitted that today was the "most humble day of my career" as he gave evidence alongside his son to the MPs over the phone hacking scandal.

[dutchman]

Arrested man named as Jonathan May-Bowles, aka standup comic and UK Uncut activist Jonnie Marbles


Jonnie Marbles, aka Jonathan May-Bowles, is led away by police

The man who attacked Rupert Murdoch during his parliamentary appearance has been identified as Jonathan May-Bowles, a protester and standup comedian.

May-Bowles dramatically intervened in the committee hearing when he tried to throw a plate of white foam into Murdoch's face at close range.

He was quickly identified by friends in the UK Uncut network of activists. Although the activist group quickly distanced themselves from the protester, he is known to have been a key figure in their campaign.

"This was a lone-wolf, solitary action," said a key organiser in UK Uncut, a tax-avoidance campaigner group. "None of us knew anything about this. This has got nothing to do with UK Uncut."

However, May-Bowles is known to be among the small, close-knit group that founded UK Uncut last year.

Remarkably, the activist, who also uses the name "Jonnie Marbles", appears to have live-tweeted his assault on Murdoch. "I'm actually in this committee," he tweeted at 15.01pm, around 30 minutes into the hearing of the department of culture, media and sport committee.

At 16.51pm, seconds before the attack, he tweeted: "It is a far better thing that I do now than I have ever done before #splat."

Murdoch's wife, Wendi Deng, leaped up to defend her husband and appeared to hit out at May-Bowles with an open hand as security guards and police rushed across the room to apprehend him. The attack prompted gasps in the audience and the temporary adjournment of proceedings.

May-Bowles, who studied at Royal Holloway University, was led away by police in handcuffs.

[dutchman]