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Web developer accused of lying about Southport knifeman is CLEARED

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작성자 Merry Yang 댓글 0건 조회 8회 작성일 24-09-05 05:24

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A Pakistani web developer accused of spreading disinformation about the Southport knife attack that triggered widespread rioting across the UK has been cleared.

Farhan Asif walked free from a court in Lahore today having escaped charges of cyber terrorism less than one week after his arrest. 

The 32-year-old is reported to have worked for news aggregation website Channel3Now, which a Daily Mail investigation revealed started out as an obscure Russian YouTube channel ten years ago and spread disinformation to millions online.

That outlet falsely claimed that the Southport knifeman - whose identity could not be published at the time due to his age - was a Muslim migrant who arrived in the UK via boat and was on an MI6 watchlist.

Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, were tragically killed in the July 29 attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class by a British teenage suspect, who turned out to be British. 

Asif told the judge that he was simply reporting the information that he had seen elsewhere and deleted his post on social media after only six hours when he realised it was not correct.

Federal investigators told the judge that they had no evidence to prove that he was guilty of intentionally spreading misinformation, Rana Rizwan, a defence lawyer, told reporters.




Farhan Asif, a freelance web developer who was charged with spreading misinformation that helped spark widespread rioting in the U.K, talks to the media after his acquittal from court, in Lahore, Pakistan, Monday, Aug. 26, 2024





Farhan Asif, a freelance web developer who was charged with spreading misinformation that helped spark widespread rioting in the U.K, arrive to talk with media after his acquittal from court, in Lahore, Pakistan, Monday, Aug. 26, 2024





A burnt out police van near a mosque in Southport as shocking riots broke out





Bebe King, six, was killed in the horror attack in Southport last month





Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, was another victim of the knife attack at the Taylor Swift-themed dance class





Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, died in the early hours of July 30 after being rushed to hospital following the attack

Police in Pakistan had charged Asif with cyber terrorism, in relation to the disinformation thought to have fuelled the widespread rioting.He was charged under Section 9 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016, which outlaws creating 'a sense of fear or insecurity in society'.

Federal investigators in Pakistan were given a day to question Asif by a court on Wednesday prior to his court appearance one day later. 

An unnamed police officer told the Pakistani newspaper Dawn: 'The allegations should not be taken lightly as they can have a far-reaching impact on the Pakistani community in the UK in particular and Muslims in general.'

According to the New York Times, he admitted during a police interrogation to sharing false information. 

But he claimed that he had only reported the story from another source without verifying the information.  




Farhan Asif, whose identity was concealed until after his court appearance, was pictured for the first time as he was led away from court in handcuffs





He was charged with cyber terrorism after his news site Channel3Now allegedly spread mass misinformation about the Southport stabbing

Channel3Now reported that the suspect was a '17-year-old asylum-seeker' called Ali al-Shakati, who allegedly arrived in the UK by boat in 2023 and it claimed he was on an MI6 watch list.

But the actual suspect was Axel Rudakubana, now 18, from Banks, Lancashire, who will stand trial next year after being charged with three counts of murder, 10 counts of attempted murder and possession of a bladed article in a public place.

Channel3Now was one of the first accounts on X to share incorrect details about the Southport suspect. 

The first mention of the name came from the account of Bernie Spofforth, an anti-lockdown activist and Cheshire businesswoman. 




He has been charged under Section 9 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) 2016, which outlaws creating 'a sense of fear or insecurity in society'





According to The New York Times, he admitted during a police interrogation to sharing false information





He claimed that he had only reported the story from another source without verifying the information





Farhan Asif allegedly worked for news aggregation website Channel3Now, which published false articles about the identity of the Southport stabber

More than 50 police officers were injured as up to 1,000 people gathered outside a Southport mosque after the fake news over the identity of the suspect in the killings was shared online.

Asif was uncovered as a significant figure in the Channel3Now website in an ITV News investigation, which found that he ran the website - which has since been shut down - from his luxurious housing estate in Lahore.

'I don't know how such a small article or a minor Twitter account could cause widespread confusion,' he told ITV News after being confronted about the fake news the website spread.

'Channel3Now mentioned that [the suspect was] a Muslim and an immigrant, but this has no connection to the chaos, which is being caused by people in his own country. 









King Charles is pictured in the background of a floral display for the Southport victims, which also includes a number of balloons and cuddly toys 





The huge display has been left in the wake of the tragic killings of three girls who were stabbed during a Taylor Swift-themed summer party in the town last month

'If there was misinformation, it could have been addressed calmly. Why was there such an uproar?'

A senior official in the local Pakistani police force told The Telegraph Asif had been detained over allegedly spreading fake news that resulted in violent riots.

Asif denied writing the article about the Southport knifeman and told ITV News that he understands that the article was deleted a day after it was posted and that an apology was issued.

He claims that four people from the information search team were fired over the fake news article.




A police van set alight on July 31 as trouble flares during a protest in Southport, after three children died and eight were injured in a 'ferocious' knife attack during a Taylor Swift event












Dawn said their own investigation into the fake news showed that Asif was not the source of the information and had simply copy and pasted it from a social media post. 

Besides the three children who died, ten other people were seriously injured during the attack on the dance class at the Hart Space Community Centre in Southport a the end of July.

A 17-year-old male, dick 博客作者 dick who the police said was born in Britain, was charged with three counts of murder, 10 counts of attempted murder and one of possession of a bladed article.

The UK's worst unrest in more than a decade led to some 1,100 arrests. 

The government pledged that rioters who hurled bricks at police, looted shops and attacked mosques and hotels used to house asylum-seekers would feel 'the full force of the law.' 


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