Pakistani Judge Acquits Man Charged with Spreading Misinformation Linked to UK Riots
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Pakistani Judge Acquits Man Charged with Spreading Misinformation Linked to UK Riots
Loveworld / 54 seconds
August 27, 2024
1 min read
A Pakistani judge acquitted Farhan Asif, a 32-year-old web developer, on Monday after he was charged with spreading misinformation that allegedly contributed to recent riots in the U.K. The decision followed a raid on Asif’s home in Lahore last week, where he was arrested and charged with cyberterrorism.
During the court hearing, Asif was released after he testified that he had deleted the controversial social media post just six hours after realizing it was inaccurate. His defense lawyer, Rana Rizwan, reported that federal investigators presented no evidence to support claims that Asif intentionally spread false information.
Asif had been accused by the Federal Investigation Agency of disseminating misleading content on YouTube and Facebook concerning a British teenage suspect involved in a stabbing attack on July 29 in northwest England. The attack resulted in the deaths of three girls and injuries to ten others.
