Pakistan authorities arrest man for spreading disinformation on Southport stabbing

Aug. 21 (UPI) -- A man was arrested in Pakistan for spreading disinformation that helped spark anti-immigrant unrest in Britain after the Southport stabbing, authorities said.

Pakistani law enforcement told the BBC that the man, Farhan Asif, was arrested on suspicion of cyber terrorism, as they connected him to a website that posted false information about the alleged attacker in the stabbing on July 29 that left three girls dead and 10 others injured.

The website, called Channel3Now, posted in the hours after the attack a fictitious name for the suspect. More information on the website suggested that the suspect was an asylum seeker who reached Britain on a small boat, a stereotype used to describe poor immigrants arriving from other countries.

The false information went viral on social media as violent far-right unrest in England and Northern Ireland erupted after the stabbing.

Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency interviewed Asif in DIG Kamran, where he allegedly runs his news platform alone. The FIA said that Asif admitted to posting the information after supposedly gathering it from social media.

The ritos have led to a wave of arrests as Kieran Usher became the first adult to face rioting charges in connection with the far-right unrest in Britain last Friday. He did not enter a plea in South Tyneside Magistrates' Court and is expected to return to court on Friday in Newcastle Crown Court.

Bebe King, 6, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9, died during the stabbing at a Taylor Swift -themed dance class in Southport on July 29.

Axel Muganwa Rudakubana, 18, of Lancashire, was charged with three counts of murder and 10 charges of attempted murder.