News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch endured not only verbal blows but also an attempted physical attack Tuesday during his historic appearance before a committee of the British Parliament to account for the alleged illegal activities of reporters at his newspapers accused of hacking people's cellphones.
The hearing was interrupted when it appeared that someone tried to strike Murdoch, perhaps with shaving cream.
The crowd gasped, and his son James Murdoch -- who was sitting next to him at the witness table -- leaped to his father's defense. Rupert Murdoch's wife, Wendi Deng, who was sitting behind the aging mogul, jumped up and reached out to slap the offender.
Murdoch's glasses appeared to come off and his ever-present gray-haired bodyguard jumped to help police apprehend the person trying to accost the mogul.
PHOTOS: British phone-hacking scandal
The disruption occurred during the final questions. The television feed did not show what exactly happened, but a CNN reporter in London said the offender, a young man, approached Murdoch and splashed his face with some substance, perhaps shaving cream, and accused him of being "a greedy billionaire."
