Pakistani man charged with cyberterrorism for misinfo that led to UK riots

THIS IS THE MAN POLICE SAY WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR SPREADING MISINFORMATION ONLINE ABOUT A DEADLY STABBING THAT LED TO MASSIVE RIOTS ACROSS THE UNITED KINGDOM EARLIER THIS MONTH.

AUTHORITIES FINDING THEIR SUSPECT NOT IN BRITAIN – BUT THOUSANDS OF MILES AWAY – IN PAKISTAN.

32-YEAR-OLD FARHAN (FAR-HAHN) ASIF (AH-SIF) IS CHARGED WITH CYBER TERRORISM  -AFTER BEING ARRESTED THIS WEEK IN HIS HOME IN THE EASTERN CITY OF LAHORE.

ACCORDING TO A POLICE REPORT BY PAKISTAN’S FEDERAL INVESTIGATION AGENCY, SEEN BY VARIOUS NEWS OUTLETS, ASIF – A FREELANCE WEB DEVELOPER – RAN THE WEBSITE CHANNEL3NOW – WHERE HE ALLEGEDLY SPREAD FALSE DETAILS ABOUT THE SUSPECT IN A FATAL STABBING AT A TAYLOR SWIFT-THEMED DANCE CLASS IN THE NORTHWEST ENGLAND TOWN OF SOUTHPORT ON JULY 29TH.

THREE GIRLS, AGES 6, 7 AND 9, WERE KILLED IN THE INCIDENT AND EIGHT OTHER CHILDREN AND TWO ADULTS WERE INJURED.

[ANCHOR]

LAUREN TAYLOR:

POLICE SAY ASIF POSTED A STORY TO HIS WEBSITE CLAIMING THE SUSPECT WAS A RADICAL ISLAMIC ASYLUM-SEEKER WHO ENTERED THE UK ILLEGALLY ON A SMALL BOAT IN 2023 – EVEN IDENTIFYING THE SUSPECT BY NAME.

BUT WHILE ALL THOSE SUPPOSED DETAILS TURNED OUT TO BE LIES – POLICE SAY THAT DIDN’T STOP THE MISINFORMATION FROM SPREADING IN THE UK – RESULTING IN RIOTERS ATTACKING HOTELS THAT HOUSE ASYLUM-SEEKERS AND THROWING BRICKS AT A MOSQUE NEAR THE STABBING SITE. THE RIOTERS CLASHING WITH POLICE – CHANTING “WE WANT OUR COUNTRY BACK.”

DOZENS OF POLICE OFFICERS WERE INJURED RESPONDING TO THE RIOTS –

MORE THAN 1,000 PEOPLE ARRESTED.

NEARLY 500 CHARGED

MORE THAN 150 OF THOSE HAVE BEEN SENTENCED – WITH MOST FACING JAIL TIME.

THE RIOTS SPURRED COUNTER-PROTESTS – WITH THOUSANDS TAKING THE STREETS TO SUPPORT IMMIGRANTS ACROSS THE UK – HOLDING UP SIGNS READING “RACISTS OUT, REFUGEES IN” AND CHANTING “LOVE, NOT HATE.”  

IN REALITY – THE SUSPECT TURNED OUT TO BE A 17-YEAR-OLD FROM CARDIFF, WALES NAMED AXEL RUDAKUBANA (RUE-DUH-COO-BAH-NUH). A JUDGE ALLOWING HIS NAME TO BE RELEASED DESPITE HIS AGE IN PART TO STOP THE SPREAD OF THE MISINFORMATION.

POLICE SAY THE TEEN WAS BORN IN THE U-K TO RWANDAN PARENTS AND LIVED IN A VILLAGE NEAR SOUTHPORT. THE MOTIVE OF THE STABBING IS STILL UNCLEAR.

POLICE SAY THEY RECOVERED TWO LAPTOPS AND A MOBILE PHONE FROM ASIF’S HOME – WHERE THEY FOUND THE X ACCOUNT OF CHANNEL3NOW ACTIVE.  

ACCORDING TO THE POLICE REPORT – ASIF “CONFESSED HIS GUILT” DURING INTERROGATION – BUT TOLD AUTHORITIES HE WAS NOT THE SOURCE OF THE FALSE INFO – SAYING HE GOT IT FROM A UK-BASED SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNT.

ASIF’S SITE HAS BEEN TAKEN OFFLINE, AND THERE HAS BEEN NO ACTIVITY ON THE X ACCOUNT SINCE AUGUST 11TH.

ON THURSDAY – A PAKISTANI COURT ALLOWED AUTHORITIES TO QUESTION ASIF FOR FOUR MORE DAYS.

PAKISTANI POLICE SAY ASIF’S ACTIONS “CREATED A SENSE OF FEAR” IN BRITAIN AND DAMAGED PAKISTAN’S REPUTATION.

LAST WEEK, BEFORE HIS ARREST, BRITAIN BROADCASTER ITV CONFRONTED ASIF ABOUT THE ROLE HIS REPORT PLAYED IN FUELING THE RIOTS, HE REPLIED QUOTE: “I DON’T KNOW HOW SUCH A SMALL ARTICLE OR A MINOR TWITTER ACCOUNT COULD CAUSE WIDESPREAD CONFUSION.”