The injunction banning all publication of photos of the News of the World investigative editor Mahmood expired at 4pm yesterday.
Lawyers on behalf of News International, which owns the News Of The World and The Sun, had claimed that unmasking the true identity of Mahmood would put his life in danger, because of some of the criminals he has reported on, and called for a ban on all images of Mahmood being published.
However, Mr Justice Mitting ruled in the High Court in London that he was not satisfied that the purpose of Mahmood's application was to protect his life, but to continue his work as an investigative journalist for the News of the World, where his stings have included the Countess of Wessex, the wife of Prince Edward.
Galloway was prompted to reveal the identity of Mahmood after claiming the "fake sheikh" tried to encourage him to make anti-semitic remarks about the Daily Express owner Richard Desmond during a dinner at the Dorchester Hotel.
Galloway says his suspicions were aroused after Mahmood failed to recognise simple Arabic customs. Galloway is famously familiar with Arabic customs, including his association with Saddam Hussein among others.
The MP distributed pictures of Mahmood to MPs, newspapers and the Royal Family, before threatening to reveal the identity of Mahmood in the press.
Following the lifting of the injunction, pictures of Mahmood are now widely available online, but they are all old shots.
One of Mahmood's most recent victims was England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson. Eriksson was called to step down as England manager after openly discussing the details of private conversations with England players.
Mahmood claims to have been responsible for bringing more than 130 criminals to justice as part of his work as an undercover reporter. However, after the High Court's ruling yesterday, it would appear that Mahmood's days as an investigative journalist are now over.
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