By Staff Reporter
LAHORE: A Lahore court on Monday acquitted a man accused of spreading false information that allegedly sparked widespread rioting in the UK earlier this month, officials said.
Farhan Asif, 32, a web developer, was arrested on Aug 20 in Lahore, the capital of Punjab province, and charged with cyberterrorism. However, during a hearing on Monday, the judge ordered his release due to lack of evidence.
Police said that Asif was a freelancer at a private channel and that they found he had shared news by a different social media account in the UK.
After UK police had refuted the false information he had shared, Asif deleted the posts and issued an apology on Channel3now for sharing the news, police said.
Asif told the court he had deleted the social media post six hours after realizing its inaccuracy.
The judge asked Asif if he now realised he should be careful about the information he shares online.
Federal investigators found no proof of intentional misinformation, according to defense lawyer Rana Rizwan.
The Federal Investigation Agency had alleged that Asif spread false information on YouTube and Facebook regarding a British teenager suspected of a stabbing attack that killed three and injured 10 on July 29 in northwest England.
False information about the attacker spread online after three young girls were killed at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class on 29 July.
Violent disorder then broke out in Southport before spreading to towns and cities across England and Northern Ireland, fuelled by misinformation, the far-right and anti-immigration sentiment.
In the past three weeks, more than 500 people have been charged in relation to the disorder and at least 170 sentenced, many being sent to jail.
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