Asif was arrested at his house in the city
Pakistani police have arrested a man for allegedly spreading misinformation that led to the UK riots.
Imran Kishwar, Deputy Inspector General of Investigations in Lahore, said the suspect was identified as 32-year-old Farhan Asif, a freelance web developer.
Asif is accused of spreading misinformation on Facebook and YouTube about Southport stabbings that resulted in the deaths of three young girls at a Taylor Swift dance class.
It was falsely claimed that the suspect was an asylum seeker named Ali Al-Shakati who arrived in the UK on a small boat and was “on the MI6 watchlist”.
Asif allegedly worked for Channel3Now, an account on X that poses as an American news website.
Channel3Now was one of the first outlets to report the false name.
In actual fact, the suspect was Axel Rudakubana, who was born in Cardiff.
A social media post about the story received millions of views and was widely shared on X by far-right influencers.
It quickly spread online in the UK, with riots erupting in various cities and towns, including in Manchester and Liverpool.
Dozens of police officers were injured and more than a thousand people were arrested.
There were also anti-racist counter-demonstrations attended by thousands of people.
On July 31, 2024, the site’s editor-in-chief posted an apology for “the misleading information published in a recent article on our website, Channel3Now. We deeply regret any confusion or inconvenience this may have caused”.
A Facebook account for Channel3Now said it is managed by people in Pakistan and the US.
The apology also blamed its “UK-based team”, adding that it had “fired” those responsible.
At a news conference in Lahore, police said Asif was arrested at his house in the city for questioning.
They said Asif had claimed that he was not the source of the misinformation but that he had reposted it from social media.
Police have handed over the case to the Federal Investigation Agency, which handles cases relating to cyberterrorism.
It had been reported that Asif was charged with cyber terrorism but it was later revealed that he only remains under arrest and has not been charged yet.
It was unclear if Britain had requested his extradition.
According to the latest Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) figure, 494 people have been charged in relation to the UK riots.
More than 150 people have already been sentenced, with the vast majority facing jail sentences.
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