Authorities here arrested and charged a man with cyberterrorism for his alleged role in spreading misinformation that led to widespread rioting in the United Kingdom earlier this month.
The suspect was identified as freelance web developer Farhan Asif, 32, said Imran Kishwar, deputy inspector-general of investigations in Lahore, the capital of eastern Punjab province.
The man is accused of spreading misinformation from YouTube and Facebook about the British teenage suspect in a stabbing attack that killed three girls and injured 10 other people on July 29 at a dance class in Northwest England.
The false information claimed the suspect was a recently arrived asylum-seeker and had a name that suggested he was Muslim.
After the misinformation led to a violent mob attacking a mosque near the site of the stabbing the next day, police took the unusual step of clarifying that the suspect was born in the United Kingdom.
It has been widely reported in British media that his parents are from Rwanda and said to have Christian beliefs.
Channel3 Now, an account on the X social media platform that purports to be a news channel, was one of the first outlets to report the false name, Ali Al-Shakati.
The site’s editor-in-chief posted an apology on July 31 for “the misleading information published in a recent article on our website, Channel3 NOW. We deeply regret any confusion or inconvenience this may have caused.”
But the false reports were widely disseminated and are blamed for fuelling more than a week of rioting that broke out across the United Kingdom and has led to more than 1,000 arrests.
Kishwar said Asif was arrested at his house in the city for questioning.
He said Asif has claimed that he was not the source of the misinformation but that he reposted it from social media.
Kishwar said Asif ran the Channel3 Now account, and alleged that he spread fake news to gain more viewers and income.
“He regretted over reposting fake news,” he added. “This act on the part of Asif amounts to cyberterrorism, for which he has been charged.” — AP
