Pakistan arrests man over Southport attack disinformation

Pakistani authorities have arrested Farhan Asif, a web developer, for spreading disinformation about the Southport stabbing incident in the UK. The misinformation allegedly fueled widespread riots across Britain, particularly targeting immigrant communities. Asif operated the now-defunct website Channel3Now, which published a false report on July 29, 2024, claiming that the attacker, who killed three young girls in Southport, was a 17-year-old Muslim asylum seeker. This incorrect information was widely shared on social media, inciting violent protests.

Asif, who was detained in Lahore, Pakistan, initially denied responsibility, claiming he merely reposted information from social media without verifying it. Despite issuing an apology and taking down the content, the damage was already done as the misinformation had already spread widely. He has since been charged with cyber terrorism under Pakistani law.

The investigation into Channel3Now, which was shut down following the incident, revealed that it had a history of posting sensational and often false news. Although there were speculations about the site being linked to Russian disinformation efforts, no concrete evidence was found to support this.

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