Farhan Asif, a less-known Pakistani face behind the clickbait UK website, has been arrested on suspicion of cyber terrorism as he invited trouble by sharing false information that fuelled unrest in United Kingdom.
The Lahore-based man – who runs UK site – has appeared in court on cyber-terrorism charges for the article shared through his website, which is believed to have incited anti-immigration riots.
In his article on Channel3Now site, Farhan shared misleading information, falsely alleging that Muslim asylum seeker was behind knife attack that killed young girls at Taylor Swift-themed event in Southport.
Farhan Asif
Pakistani authorities took action as British attributed the riots, which targeted mosques, hotels housing asylum seekers, and various properties, to the spread of online misinformation.
The man is said to be a IT person who does not have any exposure to local or international media. He reportedly used Channel3 site to earn living in the country. FIA revealed that the investigation suggests his primary goal was to profit from clickbait content.
Asif was produced in Lahore district court, where he was charged with cyber-terrorism and held in custody for one day.
The inciting article was published shortly after the attack in UK. Several cities in England saw unrest, with far-right groups believed to have exacerbated the situation.
The individual accused of the stabbing, Axel Rudakubana, is a UK-born citizen of Rwandan descent. Misinformation falsely identified the attacker as “Ali al-Shakati” without any official confirmation.
UK anti-racism protesters take to streets after days of far-right unrest
