Police in Lahore on Monday night arrested a Pakistani man allegedly involved in spreading misinformation that sparked anti-immigrant riots in the United Kingdom earlier this month.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, DIG Operations Faisal Kamran said suspect Farhan Asif was arrested in the DHA locality of the provincial capital and had been placed in the custody of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA)’s Cybercrime Wing for further interrogation.
According to Kamran, Asif works for a news platform based in Pakistan and has been charged with spreading “fake news” about the identity of the man who stabbed three children to death in London. He noted that the fake news had incited violent riots in Britain, adding initial investigations had found the accused involved in disseminating fake news.
Earlier, a U.K. media outlet had interviewed Asif, who had told them the people responsible for writing and publishing the fake news had been dismissed. However, local media has reported that Asif has confessed to publishing the fake news while maintaining he had no idea the post would go viral and incite rioting.
Britain witnessed widespread anti-immigrant riots following the spread of fake news on social media about a Muslim immigrant allegedly murdering three minor girls in July. During the unrest, rightwing protesters attacked various mosques, asylum centers and immigrant homes, leading to a crackdown that British police say has already netted over 1,000 people.