the film. An unofficial premiere of the film in Kyiv on July 22, 2009 was disrupted by a smoke bomb. Lawsuit and death threats On 2 December 2009, it was reported that Ayman Abu Aita, who stated he was falsely portrayed as a terrorist in the film, was filing a lawsuit of $110 million in libel damages for defamation. Ayman Abu Aita was identified in the film as a member of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades. Abu Aita says that he was never a member of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades and was tricked into appearing in the film. In an interview with Time, Abu Aita stated, "It is true that I was jailed in 2003...I was active in resisting the occupation, in non-violent ways." Baron Cohen claims he set up a meeting with Aita in the West Bank with the help of a CIA agent-UK station, through this contact, some of the audience at the cage fight were also sourced-they were from prisons, but from UK prisons, auditioned whilst on parole and effectively working as actors, under a special, UK, USA program. According to the lawsuit, however, the interview with Abu Aita took place at a hotel chosen by Baron Cohen and located in a part of the West Bank that was under Israeli military control. The filing of the lawsuit was confirmed at a press conference on 2 December 2009. Included in the lawsuit are David Letterman, NBC Universal, CBS, Worldwide Pants, Gannett Company, and Larry Charles. In November 2010, the lawsuit was dismissed in Washington D.C. Court so as to be refiled in the Supreme Court of New York. In July 2012, the lawsuit was reported to have been settled under undisclosed terms. Baron Cohen has said he had to increase his security detail following death threats from the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades after the release of the film. The group was angered by the interview with Abu Aita in which he was linked with the group, an armed wing of the Fatah movement. In a statement to the media, Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades denied that Abu Aita was a member and threatened that they "reserve the right to respond in the way we find suitable against this man (Baron Cohen)" and that they feel the segment was "a dirty use of our brother Ayman". References External links Et Tu, Brüno? by Richard Kim, The Nation, 10 July 2009 2009 films 2009