Russian Ambassador uses 'Harold and Kumar' photo to depict 'rejoicing terrorists' while attempting to mock US
Alexander Yakovenko shared a photo of an American actor dressed up as a terrorist
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The Russian Ambassador to Britain has mocked the US by using an image from a stoner comedy film to depict a “terrorist”.
Alexander Yakovenko was writing about America’s reported ultimatum demanding that Iraqi chooses between Russia and the US for its continuing battle against Isis.
“US threatens to stop helping Iraq against ISIL if Baghdad asks Russia for help,” he wrote. "The terrorists must be rejoicing."
The tweet was accompanied by a picture of actor Kal Penn wearing a headdress and fake beard in a clip from Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay.
The 2008 film told the story of the pair of friends being imprisoned in the notorious jail after being mistaken for terrorists on a flight to Amsterdam.
The clip shared by Mr Yakovenko shows Kumar laughing manically and miming the downing of a plane in the imagination of a fellow passenger, whose accusations later cause mayhem when his bong is mistaken for a bomb.
The irony of the moment being used by the Russian ambassador was not lost on Penn, who wrote on Twitter that it had been tweeted “with seriousness”.
“I can't stop laughing,” he added, before sending Mr Yakovenko a photo of Ivan Drago, a fictional Soviet boxer played in Rocky IV.
Penn is no stranger to diplomacy himself, having worked as the White House Associate Director of Public Engagement during breaks from his acting career.
President Bashar al-Assad met Vladimir Putin in a surprise visit to Moscow yesterday as disquiet about Russia’s support for the Syrian regime continued.
The Russian President’s spokesman said details of their discussions, revealed this morning, could not be shared but Mr Assad was understood to have thanked his counterpart personally for his military intervention.
Marine General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said today that the Iraqi government promised it would not request Russian support during talks in Baghdad.
He told reporters he set out a choice in a meeting with the Prime Minister and Defence Minister, saying: “I said it would make it very difficult for us to be able to provide the kind of support you need if the Russians were here conducting operations as well.
"We can't conduct operations if the Russians were operating in Iraq right now."
Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said he would “welcome” Russian air strikes in Iraq earlier this month, after the Kremlin’s campaign began in neighbouring Syria.
Additional reporting by Reuters and AP
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments