Pakistan Drops Case Over Disinformation in UK Riots

Authorities in Pakistan have dropped the case against a man. He was arrested last week for spreading disinformation. This disinformation fueled the recent UK riots.

Police said they could not find evidence that Farhan Asif originated the news. As a result, they decided not to continue with the case.

Leaving a Lahore court on Monday, Mr Asif declined to answer the BBC’s questions.

Unrest broke out in England and Northern Ireland earlier this month. This followed the spread of disinformation about the name and identity of the alleged perpetrator of a stabbing attack in Southport. The attack resulted in the deaths of three young girls.

A BBC investigation linked Mr. Asif to a website called Channel3Now. This site posted an article with a false name for the alleged attacker. The article also wrongly suggested that the attacker was an asylum seeker who arrived in the UK by boat last year.

People widely shared the article on social media, and it quickly went viral.

UK Riot Case Against Farhan Asif Dropped

In Monday’s court session, police said that Mr. Asif was a freelancer at a private channel. They found that he had shared news using a different social media account in the UK.

After UK police refuted the false information he shared, Mr. Asif deleted the post. He also issued an apology on Channel3Now for sharing the news, according to the police.

The judge asked Mr Asif a rhetorical question about whether he now realised he should be careful about the information he shares online.

BBC Verify previously tracked down several people linked to Channel3Now. They questioned someone who claimed to be “management” at the site.

That person told the BBC that the publication of the false name “shouldn’t have happened.” They added that it was an error and not intentional.

People spread false information about the attacker online after the killing of three young girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class on 29 July.

Violent disorder then broke out in Southport before spreading to towns and cities across England and Northern Ireland, fueled by misinformation, the far-right and anti-immigration sentiment.

In the past three weeks, more than 500 people have faced charges related to the disorder, and courts have sentenced at least 170, sending many to jail.

This news is sourced from BBC and is intended for informational purposes only.