Pakistani authorities have apprehended 32-year-old freelance web developer Farhan Asif on charges of cyberterrorism. Asif is accused of spreading misinformation that incited riots in the UK earlier this month, according to senior investigator Imran Kishwar.
The allegations against Asif involve his dissemination of false claims on YouTube and Facebook. He allegedly suggested that the British teenager involved in the July 29 stabbing incident in Northwest England was a Muslim asylum-seeker who had recently arrived in the country. This incorrect information fueled anger, resulting in a violent mob attacking a nearby mosque.
The day following the attack, police clarified that the stabbing suspect was actually born in the UK. Reports identified the suspect’s parents as being from Rwanda and of Christian faith, not Muslim.
One of the primary sources of this misinformation was an X (formerly Twitter) account known as Channel3 Now, which posed as a legitimate news outlet. The account falsely identified the UK stabbing suspect as “Ali Al-Shakati.” Managed by individuals based in Pakistan and the U.S., the channel’s editor-in-chief issued an apology on July 31 for spreading the misleading information. However, the damage had already been done. The false report quickly went viral, igniting over a week of violent riots across the UK and leading to more than 1,000 arrests.
Authorities believe that far-right agitators played a significant role in amplifying the violence by circulating this misinformation online. Farhan Asif, who claims he merely reposted the content, was detained in Lahore. His case has since been transferred to the Federal Investigation Agency, but it remains uncertain whether the UK has requested his extradition.
