Islamabad: Pakistani authorities have arrested a man and filed charges against him. Lahore Resident “Digital terrorism“For his alleged role in spreading misinformation that sparked race-motivated unrest across Britain after three schoolgirls were stabbed in the northern English town of Southport.
Farhan AsifThe accused was detained from his house in the posh Defence area of Lahore after interrogation. He was handed over to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), which has taken over the case.
Police said Asif, 32, was associated with a website called Channel 3 Now, which is accused of spreading misinformation about a British teenage suspect in a stabbing murder at a dance class on July 29.
The channel was among the first news outlets to falsely report that the suspect in the crime was a man named Ali al-Shakati. It said he was a refugee who had arrived in Britain by boat.
The Facebook account for the channel is managed by people Pakistan And America.
Violent unrest spread from Southport to cities and towns across England and Northern Ireland, fuelled by far-right ideology, misinformation and anti-immigration sentiment.
Officials privy to the development said their investigation revealed that Asif was a freelance web developer associated with the Channel 3 Now platform. They said he was not the source of the fake news but had copied-pasted it from a social media post.
“The allegations should not be taken lightly as they could have far-reaching implications on the Pakistani community in Britain in particular and Muslims in general,” DIG (Investigation) Imran Kishwar in Lahore said.
It is not clear whether Britain had requested Asif’s extradition.
Farhan AsifThe accused was detained from his house in the posh Defence area of Lahore after interrogation. He was handed over to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), which has taken over the case.
Police said Asif, 32, was associated with a website called Channel 3 Now, which is accused of spreading misinformation about a British teenage suspect in a stabbing murder at a dance class on July 29.
The channel was among the first news outlets to falsely report that the suspect in the crime was a man named Ali al-Shakati. It said he was a refugee who had arrived in Britain by boat.
The Facebook account for the channel is managed by people Pakistan And America.
Violent unrest spread from Southport to cities and towns across England and Northern Ireland, fuelled by far-right ideology, misinformation and anti-immigration sentiment.
Officials privy to the development said their investigation revealed that Asif was a freelance web developer associated with the Channel 3 Now platform. They said he was not the source of the fake news but had copied-pasted it from a social media post.
“The allegations should not be taken lightly as they could have far-reaching implications on the Pakistani community in Britain in particular and Muslims in general,” DIG (Investigation) Imran Kishwar in Lahore said.
It is not clear whether Britain had requested Asif’s extradition.
