Libel lawyer Paul Tweed has taken a defamation action against a London-based academic over a book that he claims wrongly portrays him as covert agent for the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
In proceedings issued at the High Court in Belfast, Mr Tweed is seeking damages over references to him in Middle East expert Dr Andreas Krieg’s book Subversion: The Strategic Weaponization of Narratives.
Published in 2023, the book by the King’s College associate professor has been described as an examination of how “malicious state and nonstate actors take advantage of the information space to sow political chaos”.
Mr Tweed, who has previously represented celebrities including Britney Spears, Liam Neeson and Nicolas Cage, is separately suing the book’s publisher, Georgetown University Press, in a libel case taken in Dublin.
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The case, alleging damage to his professional reputation, is being pursued in Belfast for jurisdictional reasons.
Lawyers for Dr Krieg on Wednesday sought more time to prepare for a preliminary hearing to determine the meaning of the section of the book in question, which they argued does not give the impression alleged by Mr Tweed.
Richard Coghlin KC, for Dr Krieg, said it was one paragraph in a book regarded as suitable only for postgraduates and practitioners in the field of information studies.
“The context is relevant and at least involves the rest of a 252-page book,” he said.
David Ringland KC, for Mr Tweed, said attempts to have the matter put back were “simply a delaying tactic”.
He said the defendant is not just an academic, but also a geostrategic consultant with a political risk firm who has provided advisory services to the Qatari Armed Forces.
“This goes some way to explaining the background leading up to the defendant accusing Mr Tweed of being a covert United Arab Emirates agent,” he said.
He argued that Mr Tweed has become “collateral damage” through properly acting for clients perceived as being pro-UAE.
The court also heard there was further publication of an allegedly defamatory post on X and that the book remains available from some online distributors.
Adjourning the case until next week, Mr Justice Colton requested more information before determining if the hearing on meanings should go ahead as scheduled.
