ISLAMABAD: Pakistani authorities have arrested and charged a Lahore resident with “digital terrorism” for his alleged role in disseminating misinformation that stoked race-motivated unrest across the UK following the stabbing of three schoolgirls in the northern England town of Southport.
Farhan Asif, the accused, was picked up from his residence in the posh defence area of Lahore after being interrogated.He was handed over to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), which has since taken up the case.
Police said Asif, 32, was linked to a website, Channel 3 Now, that is blamed for spreading misinformation about the British teenage suspect in the July 29 stabbings at a dance class.
The channel was among the first news outlets to falsely report that the suspect in the crime was a person named Ali al-Shakati. It said the latter was an asylum-seeker who arrived in the UK by boat.
A Facebook account for the channel is managed by people in Pakistan and the US.
The violent unrest spread from Southport to towns and cities in England and Northern Ireland, driven by far-right ideology, misinformation, and anti-immigration sentiment.
Officials privy to developments said their investigation led them to the conclusion that Asif was a freelance web developer associated with the Channel3 Now platform. He was not the source of the fake news, but copy-pasted it from a social media post, they said.
“The allegations should not be taken lightly as they can have a far-reaching impact on the Pakistani community in the UK, in particular, and Muslims in general,” said Imran Kishwar, DIG (investigations) in Lahore.
It was unclear if Britain had requested Asif’s extradition.
Farhan Asif, the accused, was picked up from his residence in the posh defence area of Lahore after being interrogated.He was handed over to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), which has since taken up the case.
Police said Asif, 32, was linked to a website, Channel 3 Now, that is blamed for spreading misinformation about the British teenage suspect in the July 29 stabbings at a dance class.
The channel was among the first news outlets to falsely report that the suspect in the crime was a person named Ali al-Shakati. It said the latter was an asylum-seeker who arrived in the UK by boat.
A Facebook account for the channel is managed by people in Pakistan and the US.
The violent unrest spread from Southport to towns and cities in England and Northern Ireland, driven by far-right ideology, misinformation, and anti-immigration sentiment.
Officials privy to developments said their investigation led them to the conclusion that Asif was a freelance web developer associated with the Channel3 Now platform. He was not the source of the fake news, but copy-pasted it from a social media post, they said.
“The allegations should not be taken lightly as they can have a far-reaching impact on the Pakistani community in the UK, in particular, and Muslims in general,” said Imran Kishwar, DIG (investigations) in Lahore.
It was unclear if Britain had requested Asif’s extradition.