Police in Pakistan charged a journalist with ‘digital terrorism’ and took him away, he has a connection with the riots in Britain

A case has been registered against a person in Pakistan for spreading digital terrorism. This person is accused of spreading false information on social media, which led to widespread riots in Britain. A senior investigator has given information about this case.

What is the charge against the person
According to Lahore’s Sub-Inspector (Investigation) Imran Kishwar, the arrested suspect is named Farhan Asif (32), who works as a freelance web developer. Asif is accused of spreading misinformation on YouTube and Facebook after the attack on a dance class in Southport on July 29. Three girls were killed and 10 others were injured in this attack. The misinformation claimed that the attacker was a refugee who had recently come to Britain and that he had an Islamic background.

Following the spread of this misinformation, a mosque near the site of the incident was attacked by a violent mob the next day. The police then clarified that the attackers were British-born.

The channel had apologized
The false name of the attacker was first revealed by an account named “Channel3 Now” on the social media platform X. The channel’s Facebook account said it was managed by people in Pakistan and the United States. The channel’s editor-in-chief issued an apology on July 31, in which he said, “An article recently published on our website, Channel3 Now, contained incorrect information for which we are sorry.”

However, this misinformation spread rapidly and is believed to have sparked more than a week of rioting across England and Northern Ireland, leading to more than 1,000 arrests. Authorities blamed far-right instigators for inciting the violence, who continued to spread misinformation and encourage violent protests.

The accused was arrested from his house in Lahore
During a press conference in Lahore, the police said that Asif was arrested from his house for questioning. Asif claimed that he was not the source of the false information but had reposted it from social media. The police have handed over the case to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), which investigates cases related to cyber terrorism. It is not clear at the moment whether Britain has sought Asif’s extradition or not.