Pakistan arrests national over Southport attack disinformation
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Farhan Asif has been accused of using his account to praise the arrest of a Muslim asylum seeker by police, instilling fear and instability in the government and the public.
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A car burns on Parliament Road during an anti-immigration protest in Middlesbrough, England, August 4, 2024. (AP)
Pakistani authorities have detained a man on suspicion of cyberterrorism in connection with misinformation that is suspected to have fueled unrest in the United Kingdom.
Earlier this month, violent clashes took place between far-right protesters and police in central London following the spread of misinformation on social media claiming that the Southport knife perpetrator was a Muslim man.
Police informed the BBC that Farhan Asif was linked to a website that gave the attacker a bogus identity and wrongly stated that he was an asylum seeker who came to the UK via a boat.
The essay, which appeared on the website Channel3Now shortly after the incident, was extensively referenced in viral social media posts.
After examining his electronic belongings during a raid on his home, the authorities discovered that Channel3Now's X account was operational and Asif was questioned by Lahore police Tuesday over the piece.
A police official told the BBC that Asif claimed to have composed it based on material obtained from a UK-based social media account without checking it, adding that he claimed to run the site alone.
The Pakistani national has been accused of using his account to praise the arrest of a Muslim asylum seeker by police, instilling fear and instability in the government and the public.
According to the police investigation, "Farhan Asif admitted to providing misleading information to the BBC regarding his accomplices in an attempt to divert blame to others."
Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency will also investigate if anyone else is involved.
BBC Verify has already traced down many persons associated with Channel3Now and questioned someone claiming to be "management" at the website.
That individual told the BBC that publishing the bogus identity "shouldn't have happened, but it was an error, not intentional."
Three-quarters of Muslim women in UK fear for safety amid riots
According to Sky News, up to 75% of Muslim women in the United Kingdom are concerned about their safety following rioting in the country.
Prior to the riots, just 16% of people polled were concerned about their safety, according to the research, which showed that around one-fifth of respondents reported experiencing hostile attitudes following the incident.
Hundreds of people were arrested in connection to the riots, with over 300 charged for their suspected participation in the anti-Muslim riots and over 30 have been indicted with online crimes. These offenses consist of sharing footage of the ongoing violent riots or posting content that the Crown Prosecutorial Service describes as inciting "violence or hatred."
The violent protests initially sparked on July 30 in Southport after extremist far-right social media users falsely reported that the assailant in the July 29 knife attack that killed three young girls and wounded multiple children at dance class was a Muslim immigrant.
Clashes between the demonstrators and the police were incited by members of an anti-Muslim xenophobic fascist group known as the English Defense League (EDL), who provoked protesters by attacking a local mosque with projectiles.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the violent riots as "thuggery", pledging that the assailants will face "the full force of the law."
