Tony Blair's evidence to the Leveson Inquiry was dramatically interrupted today when a protester burst in from behind the judge and branded the former Prime Minister a 'war criminal'.
Gripping Lord Justice Leveson's bench - yards away from Mr Blair - the intruder, understood to be filmmaker and veteran Iraq War protester David Lawley-Wakelin, yelled that Mr Blair had been 'bought' by JP Morgan, suggesting that the US investment bank had profited from the Iraq War.
The activist then shouted to the stunned court: 'This man should be arrested for war crimes.'
Scroll down for video.
Police said a 49-year-old man was arrested at the scene and taken to a central London station for questioning.
The drama began when Mr Lawley-Wakelin burst from behind Lord Leveson through the entrance reserved for the judge alone having managed to get past security-coded doors to access the judges' corridor into courtroom 73.
As chief counsel Robert Jay QC, who had been leading Blair's grilling, held his head in his hands, security guards immediately jumped on the man and bundled him out of the chamber.
Blair immediately told the court that the man's accusations were 'completely and utterly untrue'.
Lord Justice Leveson said he wanted an immediate investigation into how the man got into the court.
He said: 'I would like to find out how this gentleman managed to access the court through what's supposed to be a secure corridor and I'll have an investigation undertaken about that immediately.'
Mr Blair said: 'That's fine, can I just say for the record that what he said about Iraq and JP Morgan is completely untrue.'
The man told reporters his name was David Lawley-Wakelin and he was from the Alternative Iraq Enquiry. He spoke as security guards escorted him through the Royal Courts of Justice.
Mr Blair had been greeted by around two dozen or so protesters as he arrived at the courts this morning.
They waved banners reading 'Troops home', 'Bliar' and 'Afghanistan out'.
The interruption was an embarrassing echo of the ‘custard pie’ incident when Rupert Murdoch was attacked during a Commons Select Committee last year.
His wife, Wendi Deng, leapt to his defence and slapped her husband's attacker, Jonnie Marbles, as the protester thrust the creamy dessert in the media mogul's face.
The close relationship between Mr Blair and Rupert Murdoch was underlined by a list of contact with newspaper editors and proprietors in the run-up to the Iraq War in 2003.
Three telephone calls were recorded between the pair on 11, 13 and 19 March 2003. He admitted to initiating one of them and that they lasted for now more than 45 minutes in total.
He said: ‘I would have been wanting to explain what we are doing. I think I had similar calls with the Observer and the Telegraph. I don't think there's anything particularly odd about that when you're facing such an issue.’
In the run up to the 1997 general election in which Mr Blair took power for the first time, The Sun famously switched its allegiance from the Tory Party and became a vociferous cheerleader for the Iraq War.
Earlier, Mr Blair cut a relaxed and smiling figure as he strode into the Royal Courts of Justice for his grilling at the Leveson Inquiry today.
Arriving in a black Range Rover at around 8.30am - a good hour and a half before the scheduled kick off - he waved at the assembled bank of press photographers as he entered through a side door of the London court.
But outside the main entrance, the two dozen or so protesters who had gathered were not smiling.
Waving banners reading 'Troops home', 'Bliar' and 'Afghanistan out', they greeted the former Prime Minister with an angry reception.
Mary Macmillan, a Fabian from Soho in London, carried a large knitted puppet of a judge bearing a sign on its chest reading 'Blair the day of judgment.'
The 78-year-old said: 'I was a 1997 Labour Party person when Blair got his majority and I'm afraid he's proved a great let-down.
'We got very few things that he promised. The war in Afghanistan is the greatest treachery.
'I'm glad we could get here today because it's very difficult to get hold of Blair.'
Anti-war artist Chris Holden, 69, from London, repeated the familiar argument that the Iraq war - Blair's most controversial act in office - had been 'for the oil'.
He asked: 'Why can't they just come out and say (it?)'
Shouts of 'traitor' also came from the small but dogged crowd determined to pursue the ex-premier wherever he turned up.
'Truth and justice is the central message', Mr Holden said.
But 'justice' for the perceived wrongs of the Iraq war was not on the bill for today's hearing about Blair's relationship with the media.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2151016/Youre-war-criminal-Security-probe-protester-bursts-courtroom-Tony-Blair-gives-evidence-Leveson-inquiry.html
Gripping Lord Justice Leveson's bench - yards away from Mr Blair - the intruder, understood to be filmmaker and veteran Iraq War protester David Lawley-Wakelin, yelled that Mr Blair had been 'bought' by JP Morgan, suggesting that the US investment bank had profited from the Iraq War.
The activist then shouted to the stunned court: 'This man should be arrested for war crimes.'
Scroll down for video.
Bundled out: Tony Blair (far left) appeared unfazed by the disruption. Lord Justice Leveson (standing to the right of the commotion, did not. Robert Jay QC (standing below Leveson) held his head in his hands
The drama began when Mr Lawley-Wakelin burst from behind Lord Leveson through the entrance reserved for the judge alone having managed to get past security-coded doors to access the judges' corridor into courtroom 73.
As chief counsel Robert Jay QC, who had been leading Blair's grilling, held his head in his hands, security guards immediately jumped on the man and bundled him out of the chamber.
Blair immediately told the court that the man's accusations were 'completely and utterly untrue'.
Lord Justice Leveson said he wanted an immediate investigation into how the man got into the court.
Embarrassing: David Lawley-Wakelin, dressed in a white shirt and chinos, then shouted to the stunned court, 'This man should be arrested for war crimes'
'Completely untrue': After peace was restored to the courtroom, told the court that the man's accusations were 'completely and utterly untrue'
Mr Blair said: 'That's fine, can I just say for the record that what he said about Iraq and JP Morgan is completely untrue.'
Echoes: The interruption was an embarrassing echo of the 'custard pie' incident when Rupert Murdoch was attacked during a Commons Select Committee last year and his wife, Wendi Deng, leapt to his defence and slapped the attacker
Mr Blair had been greeted by around two dozen or so protesters as he arrived at the courts this morning.
They waved banners reading 'Troops home', 'Bliar' and 'Afghanistan out'.
The interruption was an embarrassing echo of the ‘custard pie’ incident when Rupert Murdoch was attacked during a Commons Select Committee last year.
Protest: Waving banners reading 'Troops home', 'Bliar' and 'Afghanistan out', about a dozen protesters greeted the former Prime Minister when he arrived at the hearing
The close relationship between Mr Blair and Rupert Murdoch was underlined by a list of contact with newspaper editors and proprietors in the run-up to the Iraq War in 2003.
Three telephone calls were recorded between the pair on 11, 13 and 19 March 2003. He admitted to initiating one of them and that they lasted for now more than 45 minutes in total.
He said: ‘I would have been wanting to explain what we are doing. I think I had similar calls with the Observer and the Telegraph. I don't think there's anything particularly odd about that when you're facing such an issue.’
Angry: Shouts of 'traitor' also came from the small but dogged crowd determined to pursue the ex-premier wherever he turned up
Write caption here
Earlier, Mr Blair cut a relaxed and smiling figure as he strode into the Royal Courts of Justice for his grilling at the Leveson Inquiry today.
Cool: Arriving in a black Range Rover at around 8.30am, Mr Blair waved at the assembled bank of press photographers as he entered through a side door of the London court
But outside the main entrance, the two dozen or so protesters who had gathered were not smiling.
Waving banners reading 'Troops home', 'Bliar' and 'Afghanistan out', they greeted the former Prime Minister with an angry reception.
Mary Macmillan, a Fabian from Soho in London, carried a large knitted puppet of a judge bearing a sign on its chest reading 'Blair the day of judgment.'
The 78-year-old said: 'I was a 1997 Labour Party person when Blair got his majority and I'm afraid he's proved a great let-down.
'We got very few things that he promised. The war in Afghanistan is the greatest treachery.
'I'm glad we could get here today because it's very difficult to get hold of Blair.'
Anti-war artist Chris Holden, 69, from London, repeated the familiar argument that the Iraq war - Blair's most controversial act in office - had been 'for the oil'.
He asked: 'Why can't they just come out and say (it?)'
Shouts of 'traitor' also came from the small but dogged crowd determined to pursue the ex-premier wherever he turned up.
'Truth and justice is the central message', Mr Holden said.
But 'justice' for the perceived wrongs of the Iraq war was not on the bill for today's hearing about Blair's relationship with the media.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2151016/Youre-war-criminal-Security-probe-protester-bursts-courtroom-Tony-Blair-gives-evidence-Leveson-inquiry.html
