Sacha Baron Cohen was forcibly removed from the red carpet before the Academy Awards ceremony last night, after arriving dressed as a Middle Eastern dictator an performing a stunt involving Kim Jong Il's ashes.

The actor, who had been warned not to attend the Oscars dressed as his latest character, General Aladeen, arrived at the Los Angeles venue accompanied by two women. He was in the full military garb of his character, who is said to be a combination of Saddam Hussein and Colonel Gadaffi.

Mr Baron Cohen went on to pour the contents of an urn over US presenter Ryan Seacrest. He said that the urn contained the ashes of the former Korean leader, who died last year.

"It was Kim's dream to be sprinkled over the red carpet and over Halle Berry's chest," he said.

The oraganisers of the event were not as amused, and Mr Baron Cohen was taken away from the red carpet by security guards.