ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) is probing the alleged role of a Pakistani national in spreading misinformation on his news website that fueled riots targeting Muslims and other ethnic communities in the United Kingdom this month, a senior police official confirmed on Wednesday.
Farhan Asif, a 32-year-old resident of Lahore, is accused of disseminating misinformation on his digital platform that the 17-year-old British-born suspect in the July 29 stabbing deaths of three girls in Southport was an immigrant and a Muslim.
As misinformation about the suspect traveled online, angry far-right crowds attacked the British Muslim community at mosques and asylum centers throughout the UK in early August. As per various media reports, Black and Asian Britons were also targeted in the week-long riots as the British government cracked down on the violence, arresting over 1,100 people.
Lahore’s Deputy Inspector for General (DIG) Operations Faisal Kamran told Arab News police interviewed Asif after it received a video from British channel ITV regarding his alleged role in spreading the misinformation on his website named Channel3Now.
“He was not arrested, just being interviewed and then we handed him to the FIA to probe,” Kamran explained, adding that police did not have the capacity to deal with this type of cybercrime.
“In that interview, we tried to vet his travel history, accounts, and other things but what we understood was that this is not the purview of the police,” he said. “It is better that the case should be referred to the FIA.”
The Lahore police official said the FIA would take action against Asif depending upon their findings. He said UK authorities had not contacted Pakistan so far regarding the probe, adding that Pakistani police had decided to look into the matter as it concerns the country and could have implications on the Pakistani community in the UK.
Kamran said Asif had revealed during his interview that the misinformation originated from a Russian website which was shared by a woman in the UK. It was then picked there from Asif and published on Channel3Now.
“Obviously he was the cause of amplifying this misinformation as it went viral,” Kamran said.
The police official said Asif admitted to police he owned Channel3Now and had reposted the Russian content there to generate traffic. Kamran said Asif had explained he had done so as the number of advertisements he receives from search engine giant Google depends on the volume of traffic the website attracts.
“It was a trending topic in the UK, so he said he posted on his website to gain traffic,” Kamran said.
Pakistan police question Lahore resident for spreading misinformation that fueled UK riots
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Pakistan police question Lahore resident for spreading misinformation that fueled UK riots
- Farhan Asif, 32, is accused of disseminating false news that British suspect in UK stabbing was Muslim and immigrant
- As misinformation traveled online, far-right groups targeted Muslim communities and ethnicities across UK this month
Pakistan says 34 militants killed in counterterror operations in Balochistan, KP this week
- Pakistan military says 26 militants killed in separate operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa this week
- Eight other militants were gunned down in southwestern Balochistan’s Zhob district, says military
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security forces killed 34 militants this week in the southwestern Balochistan and northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) provinces bordering Afghanistan, the military’s media wing said on Wednesday amid a surge in militant attacks in the country.
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing, said security forces carried out a series of “high tempo intelligence-driven operations” this week in the two provinces. It said 26 militants belonging to the Pakistani Taliban or the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) outfit were killed while eight militants were killed in Balochistan in the operations.
In the first counterterror operation on Tuesday, Pakistani forces targeted a TTP militant who was trying to enter the country in North Waziristan through the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, the ISPR said. Three TTP militants were killed in a second counterterror operation in Lakki Marwat district, the military added.
In the third counterterror operation, 10 TTP militants were killed in Bannu district while 12 others were gunned down in North Waziristan in another separate operation, the ISPR said.
“During the fifth engagement, own troops conducted an intelligence-based operation in the general area of Sambaza, Zhob District,” the military’s media wing said in a statement.
“After an intense fire exchange, eight terrorists belonging to Fitna Al Hindustan were successfully neutralized.”
Pakistan’s military uses the terms “Fitna Al-Khwarij” for the TTP and “Fitna Al Hindustan” for separatist militants in Balochistan. Islamabad alleges these militant groups are supported by India, a charge New Delhi has always denied.
The ISPR said security forces retrieved weapons and ammunition from the militants in Balochistan’s Zhob district, adding that they were involved in “terrorist activities” in the area.
“The security forces of Pakistan remain resolute and unwavering in their commitment to defend the nation’s frontiers,” the ISPR said.
The counterterror operations take place amid surging tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Islamabad said it carried out strikes on alleged militant camps in Afghanistan on Saturday night, killing over 100 militants.
Afghanistan said the attacks violated its territorial sovereignty, accusing Islamabad of killing and wounding dozens of civilians.
Islamabad alleges militants based in Afghanistan are responsible for surging militant attacks inside Pakistani territory. Afghanistan rejects these allegations and urges Pakistan to focus on its security challenges instead of blaming Kabul.
