How a Pakistani man got entangled in UK far-right misinformation bubble

Authorities in Pakistan have arrested and charged a man with cyber terrorism for his alleged role in spreading misinformation that led to widespread rioting in the UK earlier this month.

The suspect was identified as freelance writer Farhan Asif, 32, said Imran Kishwar, deputy inspector general of investigations in Lahore, the capital of eastern Punjab province, on Wednesday.

The man is accused of spreading misinformation from YouTube and Facebook about the British teenage suspect in a stabbing attack that killed three girls and injured 10 other people July 29 at a dance class in Northwest England.

The false information claimed that the suspect was a recently arrived asylum-seeker and had a name that suggested he was Muslim.

After the misinformation led to a violent mob attacking a mosque near the site of the stabbing the next day, police took the unusual step of clarifying that the suspect was born in the UK. It's been widely reported in British media that his parents are from Rwanda and said to have Christian beliefs.

Channel3 Now, an account on the X social media platform that purports to be a news channel, was one of the first outlets to report the false name, Ali Al-Shakati. A Facebook account for the channel said it is managed by people in Pakistan and the US.

The site's editor-in-chief posted an apology July 31 for "the misleading information published in a recent article on our website, Channel3 NOW. We deeply regret any confusion or inconvenience this may have caused".

But the false reports were widely disseminated and are blamed for fuelling more than a week of rioting that broke out across the United Kingdom and has led to more than 1,000 arrests.

Authorities have blamed far-right agitators for stoking the violent unrest by continuing to spread misinformation and promoting the violent demonstrations online.

At a news conference in the eastern city of Lahore, the police official Kishwar said Asif was arrested at his house in the city for questioning.

He said Asif has claimed that he was not the source of the misinformation but that he reposted it from social media. Kishwar said Asif ran the Channel3 Now account, and alleged that he spread fake news to gain more viewers and income.

"He regretted over reposting fake news," Kishwar said. "This act on the part of Asif amounts to cyber terrorism for which he has been charged."

Kishwar added that Asif's arrest was a message for other YouTubers that they should verify facts before disseminating any information.

Police have handed over the case to the Federal Investigation Agency or FIA, which handles cases relating to the cyber terrorism. FIA said the misinformation shared by Asif "created a sense of fear, insecurity" in England, and added that it also harmed Pakistan's reputation.

It was unclear if Britain had requested his extradition. There is no extradition treaty between Pakistan and the UK.

Federal investigators were granted permission by a court Wednesday to further question Asif for a day. Asif is expected to appear before a court again on Thursday when investigators are expected to seek more time to quiz him.