Weeks after fake news sparked anti-immigrant riots in the United Kingdom, a Pakistani man allegedly involved in spreading the false information was arrested in Lahore, DIG Operations Faisal Kamran confirmed on Tuesday.
In recent weeks, the UK experienced widespread riots after misinformation spread about the identity of the perpetrator of a knife attack on July 29, which resulted in the deaths of three young girls. The riots led to attacks on numerous mosques, asylum centers, and immigrant homes across several regions of Britain.
On August 14, UK police authorities provided an update on X, formerly known as Twitter, stating that over 1,000 people had been arrested in connection with the weeks-long riots in England. They also reported that at least 575 people had been charged, with courts continuing to process those involved in the unrest, which affected dozens of towns and cities in England and Northern Ireland.
The Lahore police official identified the suspect as Farhan Asif, who was arrested last night in the DHA area of Lahore and handed over to the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) Cybercrime wing for interrogation. DIG Kamran stated that Asif works for a Pakistan-based news platform and has been charged with spreading “fake news” about the identity of the killer of the three children who were stabbed to death.
The police official noted that the fake news contributed to violent riots and protests in Britain and that Asif was found to be involved in disseminating the false information. According to FIA sources, the investigation is being led by Additional Director Cybercrime Chaudhry Sarfaraz.
FIA sources further revealed that Farhan confessed to publishing a story on his news website without realizing that it would go viral.
The stabbing attack, which took place on July 29 in Southport, Merseyside, at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class, claimed the lives of Bebe King, 6, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9. The assault also left eight children and two adults wounded. A 17-year-old suspect was arrested, but his identity was not disclosed due to his age. However, misinformation began circulating online, falsely identifying the suspect as Ali-Al-Shakati, a Muslim immigrant who allegedly arrived in the UK by boat in 2023. This misinformation fueled anti-immigrant riots across the UK.
