A WOMAN WHO was identified as a “suicide bomber” linked to the Paris attackers in a number of international newspapers is not, in fact, the suspected female jihadi who died in a police raid last week.
The Daily Mail, which first ran the photo, claimed it showed alleged terrorist Hasna Ait Boulahcen taking a steamy bubble bath.
The image was then picked up by several other media outlets, including the New York Post, which captioned it: “Rub a dub dub … Thug in a tub”.
But it turns out that the woman in the picture is an innocent Moroccan who is still very much alive.
Nabila Bakkatha told CNN that the photo was sold by a former friend she had fallen out with, and that she has no involvement in terrorism.
“The photograph was taken by my friend, who sold it to a French journalist after the Paris attacks in revenge,” she said.
“Three days ago, another friend called me saying that my photographs are … on the front pages of a number of international newspapers.”
Another photo showing Bakkatha with her family was also published by a number of international media outlets.
Most of the stories that carried the images have now been updated with corrections, but the damage is already done, she feels.
“My family was shocked, and some of my relatives are not talking to me anymore … My life changed drastically,” Bakkatha told CNN.
I stopped going to work, and I cannot go out anymore as I live in continuous fear.
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