London: An Egyptian lookalike of slain Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein has claimed he was threatened by a gang which wanted him to impersonate the leader in a pornographic film, a media report said.
Mohamed Bishr, from Alexandria, said the Iraqi gang wanted to sell the video as exclusive erotic footage of the former leader, the Daily Mail reported.
The man claimed the gang beat him when he refused to go along with the plan, despite being offered $333,000.
The gang allegedly made threatening phone calls saying they would kidnap him unless he changed his mind, the daily said.
The man was attacked on way to a cafe in Alexandria by three men who tried to bundle him into a vehicle.
The three men, who had guns hanging from their belts, forced him out of his car and shoved him into a van, the man told Egypt's Al-Ahram newspaper from hospital.
He said he was thrown from the van on to a pavement and hit his head.
His family said the attackers had either Iraqi or Syrian accents, the Daily Mail reported.
The Egyptian bears such a strong resemblance to Saddam that he has previously been assaulted by Iraqis living in Egypt who mistook him for Hussein and hoped to claim a reward by turning him in.
Saddam Hussein, who was executed in December 2006, was known to keep body doubles in his entourage to help thwart attempts on his life.
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