Arrested in PK.
Pakistan’s FIA Arrests Man for Spreading Disinformation
On Tuesday, Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Authority. FIA arrested a man accused of spreading disinformation that contributed to recent unrest in the UK. The FIA issued a statement explaining that the article contained false claims. Specifically, it falsely alleged the arrest of a Muslim asylum seeker by police in connection with a stabbing incident at a dance party in Southport on July 29, 2024. Source of Disinformation Linked to UK riots
The Arrest and Investigation
Lahore police identified the arrested man as Farhan Asif. Authorities questioned him about the article on Monday. In response to a statement from UK police following the riots, Asif claimed he deleted the story and issued an immediate apology. However, his actions came too late, as the UK faced its worst unrest in over a decade, fueled by far-right, anti-immigrant violence.
The Spread of Misinformation
Protests erupted last month after misinformation campaigns, like Asif’s article, stoked outrage over the Southport stabbing, which left three children dead. Asif allegedly admitted to writing the story based on unverified information from a UK-based social media account. According to a police official, Asif’s website published mostly American, British, and Australian stories to attract online traffic and generate revenue through Google Ads.
Financial Motivation
Asif reportedly earned close to a thousand dollars a month through this website. After UK police made an official statement about the riots, Asif took down the story and apologized. However, the damage was done, as the misinformation had already inflamed anti-immigrant sentiments, leading to widespread violence across the UK.
