Abdulrahman Alharbi was a victim in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, but Glenn Beck wrongly accused the Saudi Arabian student of being a suspect in the deadly explosions. According to Beck, Alharbi was fair game.

The Washington Post reported Thursday on a novel legal defense employed by Beck in the defamation suit filed by Alharbi earlier this year.

Alharbi, who sustained minor injuries in the blast, is suing Beck and his network, The Blaze, for implicating him in the bombing even after he was cleared by authorities.

Beck’s legal team contends that the conservative radio host, who called Alharbi the “money man” in the bombing plot and said the student faced deportation for “terrorist activities,” is actually the real victim in this case.

WaPo reported that Beck’s court filings said Alharbi is seeking to stifle the pundit’s First Amendment rights and that Alharbi was an “involuntary” public figure — a standard that if met, according to the newspaper, would render Beck’s errant observations all but irrelevant in court.

From WaPo: