The NY Post has been trying to block a libel lawsuit stemming from a Boston Marathon bombing cover photo suggesting that two uninvolved students were the bombers. But this week, a Massachusetts judge denied that bid, giving the smeared individuals free reign to run Rupert Murdoch down.
Salaheddin Barhoum, 17, and Yassine Zaimi, 24, filed the suit last year when a cover featuring the two of them wearing backpacks—a cover emblazoned with the headline, "BAG MEN,"‐ran after the April 15th bombing. Barhoum, a high school student, and part-time college student Zaimi were not involved in the attack, and Barhoum had to go to the police to clear his name. The Post's editor, Col Allan, did not accept blame for the cover at the time: "We stand by our story. The image was emailed to law enforcement agencies yesterday afternoon seeking information about these men, as our story reported. We did not identify them as suspects."
According to the suit, the two men maintain they "were not suspects and were not being sought by law enforcement." The Daily News reports that the suit will continue on.
