A Pakistani web developer is facing a criminal charge over claims he helped spread misinformation about the accused Southport attacker.
Farhan Asif, 32, has been charged with cyber terrorism after false claims quickly spread online that the suspect was a Muslim immigrant to the UK, when in fact he was born in Wales and comes from a Christian family.
Pakistani police announced the charge on Wednesday, and said that Asif claimed he was not the original source of the false information, but reposted it from social media.
After three little girls were murdered at a holiday club in Southport on July 29, false rumours including a fake name for the suspect spread on X, formerly Twitter, appearing to originate from an apparent news website called Channel3 Now.
The site’s editor-in-chief posted an apology July 31 for “the misleading information published in a recent article on our website, Channel3 Now. We deeply regret any confusion or inconvenience this may have caused.”
The misleading information spread quickly online in the UK, with riots breaking out in various locations.
There were also anti-racist counter-demonstrations attended by thousands of people.
Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency, which deals with cyber-terrorism, is leading the investigation.
Related: Starmer warns social media firms over misinformation sparking violent disorder
