UK-based YouTuber hacked and beaten for criticising Saudi leadership awarded $4.1 million

A Saudi-born comedian who has a massive following on YouTube has won a major legal battle after a UK court ruled that Saudi Arabia was behind the hacking of his phone and a subsequent assault in London.

Ghanem al-Masarir, 45, had amassed hundreds of millions of views for his satirical videos criticising the Saudi Arabian royal family. But his online popularity also made him a target.