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Rupert Murdoch attempts to clarify 'jihadist cancer' comments following Charlie Hebdo shootings in Paris

The media mogul caused offence with his tweet, sent hours after French police killed three Islamist hostage-takers at a supermarket

Jenn Selby
Thursday 15 January 2015 12:09 GMT
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Media baron Rupert Murdoch owns News Corps and 20th Century Fox
Media baron Rupert Murdoch owns News Corps and 20th Century Fox (Getty Images)

Rupert Murdoch’s ill-advised tweet following the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris last week was met with social media uproar and a #RupertsFault hashtag.

The mogul had tweeted the below, much to the offence of many of his 553,000 followers, hours after French police killed three Islamist hostage-takers at a Jewish supermarket and printing warehouse:

But, following a trolling campaign from comedian Aziz Ansari and some strong words from Harry Potter author JK Rowling, he has since attempted to clarify the remarks:

Four hostages were killed by gunman Amedy Coulibaly in the kosher store, who was suspected of fatally shooting a policewoman the day before. Brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi, who stormed the offices of the Charlie Hebdo magazine and gunned down 12 people on Wednesday, were killed after holding a man hostage in the printing warehouse.

Murdoch was also recently criticised for sending a tweet congratulating the Australian Daily Telegraph for being the first to report on the “bloody outcome” of the Sydney siege in December 2014.

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