UK riots: Lahore court clears man in disinformation case

LAHORE: The suspect arrested in Lahore for allegedly spreading disinformation about the Southport killings that triggered widespread riots in the United Kingdom was cleared of charges by a local court on Monday. 

Farhan Asif was booked earlier this month for allegedly publishing a "fake news" story that purportedly caused the UK anti-immigrant riots, which saw numerous mosques, asylum centres and immigrant homes being attacked in several regions of Britain.

In Pakistan, the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) Cybercrime wing was investigating the charges against Asif.

During the hearing today, the investigation officer (IO) informed a judicial magistrate's court in Lahore that the "news" about the murder had been shared on social media previously and suspect Asif only "re-shared" it.

"The allegations have been investigated from every aspect and no evidence against the suspect has been found," the IO stated.

At this, the court inquired about the time and person with whom the suspect shared the news.

Asif, while responding to the query, stated that he deleted the news six hours after sharing it.

After this, the court discharged the suspect and ordered his immediate release.

Bebe King, 6, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9, were the three girls who were killed in the stabbing attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in the Merseyside town of Southport on July 29. The assault also left eight children and two adults wounded.

A 17-year-old suspect was arrested. However, due to his age, his identity was not disclosed. However, misinformation about the suspect's Muslim identity began circulating online. Social media reports named him Ali-Al-Shakati, claiming he migrated to the UK by boat in 2023.

These social media claims that the suspect was a Muslim immigrant triggered anti-immigrant riots across the UK.