A Lamborghini-driving lawyer who ran for mayor of the West Midlands is at the center of a row over a 'deep-fake' video that sparked a viral hate campaign against an innocent teacher.
The video, taken on a doorbell camera, used subtitles to suggest the woman had made racist comments during her Labor application.
It was shared by Achmed Yakoob, the independent candidate who came third in last Thursday's vote, with his 194,000 votes. TikTok followers.
Labor said it had engaged an external digital forensics firm, which found evidence the video had been manipulated.
West Midlands Police said yesterday that officers had examined the original footage and concluded no offensive words had been uttered.
Lawyer Achmed Yakoob stands in front of his yellow Lamborghini with his personalized license plate
The video shows the woman asking the person who lived in this house if he or she voted Labor
The resident responds by saying that they voted for Achmed Yakoob, to which the woman replies: 'No problem, thank you'
The Walsall secondary school teacher, who is in her 20s, said she had endured a 48-hour “nightmare”, including death threats, since the video went viral on Monday.
She said she 'couldn't stop shaking' and told BirminghamLive: 'My whole world fell apart.
'All my life I have been known as a polite, well-mannered, helpful good person and have always had a very good reputation, but it was blown up by one false accusation.'
She declined to comment further when contacted by email. Mr Yakoob received almost 70,000 votes as an independent campaigning on a pro-Palestine ticket. Incumbent Tory leader Andy Street lost to Labor leader Richard Parker by just 1,508 votes.
Mr Yakoob, a criminal lawyer and director at Maurice Andrews Solicitors in Birmingham, was backed by Workers' Party of Britain leader George Galloway. He now plans to stand as a candidate in Birmingham's Ladywood constituency, held by Labor MP Shabana Mahmood.
Mr Yakoob posted the teacher's name and the name of her school, while others joined in to share her phone number and email address. An email to the school demanding her resignation was also circulated online, with the school at one point receiving 100 emails an hour about the teacher's alleged behavior.
Mr Yakoob said he “deleted the post from all my social media” but denied he was to blame for the teacher being “outed” as a racist.
He said: 'I have made no such claims and would like to see the findings (by the Labor Party and West Midlands Police) and will make no further comment.' His campaign team did not return requests for comment last night.
A look at Achmed Yakoob's campaign leaflet, where George Galloway, leader of the Labor Party of Great Britain, endorses him
Independent candidate Yakoob poses for a photo as votes are counted ahead of West Midlands mayoral declaration
The woman (blurred), a teacher in her 20s, has said her 'whole world' is 'crumbling' as a result of the 'deep fake' video
The teacher is said to have volunteered as an investigator to help a friend, Qasim Mughal, who was with her at the time of the incident and who was subsequently elected as a councilor in Dudley.
She is not a member of the Labor Party and was not aware of the other candidates standing for election. Mughal said he was within earshot of the conversation at the door and knew his friend was innocent.
Labor said: 'Manipulated digital assets threaten the community cohesion we work hard to build, as well as the integrity of the democratic process. It is disappointing and irresponsible for a failed candidate in a recent election to share a manipulated digital asset in an attempt to undermine a successful Labor campaign.”
West Midlands Police said: 'Following allegations of a racist comment made by a researcher in Dudley, captured on doorbell footage… we found no evidence of racist comments or language.
'The researcher has suffered significant abuse as a result of the release of the images on social media, which is distressing. She has been kept fully informed of our findings and has offered our support.”