Photographer: Björk Attacked Me

The singer is accused of lashing out at a paparazzo – ripping the shirt off his back

Photo: Sylvia Linares/FilmMagic

Singer-songwriter Björk allegedly attacked a photographer – ripping his shirt in half – after he snapped her early-morning arrival at Auckland International Airport, the New Zealand Herald reported Monday.

“I got about three or four frames of her,” the photographer, who was on assignment for the Herald at the time, told the paper of the Sunday morning altercation. “And as I turned and walked away she came up behind me, grabbed the back of my black [shirt] and tore it down the back.”

The 42-year-old Icelandic chanteuse – perhaps best known for wearing a swan gown to the Academy Awards in 2001 – then toppled over, Jeffrey said. He added, “At no stage did I touch her or speak with her.” (He did, however, admit that Björk’s male companion had asked him not to take pictures.)

According to a later story in the Herald, neither Jeffrey nor the newspaper planned to press charges.

This is not the first time the singer’s feathers have been ruffled by a journalist. After a flight to Thailand in 1996, Björk was videotaped repeatedly slapping a female reporter. She later apologized for the attack, and the infamous clip is now posted on YouTube.