UK Edition
Lukas Podolski picture used to illustrate Breitbart News migrant story
Breitbart News, the controversial right-wing site, has apologised after using a picture of former Arsenal striker Lukas Podolski to illustrate a story about migrants travelling from Morocco to Spain.
The article, headlined "Spanish Police Crack Gang Moving Migrants on Jet-Skis", reported how smugglers were making money by bringing in migrants across the Strait of Gibraltar.
The original picture that accompanied the story showed the German footballer, who recently retired from international football, having fun on a jet ski.
Breitbart later changed the picture, but not before it spread on social media.
"A previous version of this story included an image of Lukas Podolski...," a note underneath the story reads.
"This image appeared as an illustration of a person on a jet ski. Breitbart London wishes to apologise to Mr. Podolski.
"There is no evidence Mr. Podolski is either a migrant gang member, nor being human trafficked. We wish Mr. Podolski well in his recently announced international retirement."
Breitbart News has recently welcomed back Steve Bannon, who was ousted from the White House as Donald Trump's chief strategist.
Mr Bannon has described Breitbart, the website he ran before joining Mr Trump's campaign and administration, as a platform for the white supremacists and neo-Nazis known as the "alt-right".