Court discharges suspect arrested in UK riot case

Lahore: A Lahore court on Monday discharged a suspect Farhan Asif who was facing trial over alleged involvement in UK riots by spreading disinformation. 
The Lahore police had arrested the Asif for publishing fake news story that fueled widespread anti-immigrant riots in the UK. 

The riots saw numerous mosques, asylum centres and immigrant homes being attacked in several regions of Britain.

Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) Cybercrime wing in Pakistan was investigating the charges against Asif after UK media alleged him as major suspect for fueling the riots.

During the hearing on Monday, the investigation officer (IO) informed the court in Lahore that the news regarding the murder had been shared on the social media previously and suspect Asif had only "re-shared" it. 

"The allegations have been investigated from every aspect and no evidence against the suspect has been found," the IO stated. 

At this, the court inquired about the time and person with whom the suspect shared the news. 

Asif, while responding to the query, stated that he deleted the news six hours after sharing it. 

After this, the court discharged the suspect and ordered his immediate release. 

Bebe King, 6, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9, were the three girls who were killed in the stabbing attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in the Merseyside town of Southport on July 29. The assault also left eight children and two adults wounded.

A 17-year-old suspect was arrested. However, due to his age, his identity was not disclosed. But, misinformation about the suspect's Muslim identity began circulating online. Social media reports named him Ali-Al-Shakati, claiming he migrated to the UK by boat in 2023.

These social media claims that the suspect was a Muslim immigrant triggered anti-immigrant riots across the UK.