Alleged fabricated news surrounding Southport: Pakistani authorities apprehend web designer
The tragic death of three young girls in British Southport has unfortunately led to a surge in violence, particularly from far-right extremists. This escalation can be traced back to misleading information circulating about the attacker. It seems a 31-year-old software engineer based in Pakistan is using his platform, Channel3Now, to propagate these false rumors.
Investigations in Pakistan have commenced, primarily focusing on the disturbances that took place in the UK at the end of July. The main suspect, a software engineer devoid of journalistic experience, presented himself in court in Lahore, facing charges of cyberterrorism. The Pakistani Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) spokesperson accuses the suspect of disseminating misinformation via Channel3Now, which incited chaos in the UK.
"Channel3Now served as a means for him to make money," the FIA spokesperson revealed. The suspect, in a published article, wrongly reported that the perpetrator who took the lives of several children in Southport was a Muslim asylum seeker. This deceptive information spread across online networks, leading to widespread right-wing riots nationwide.
One of the first platforms to disseminate false information about the Southport attacker's identity was a Twitter account named Channel3Now. According to a Facebook account credited to Channel3Now, the website is managed by individuals based in both Pakistan and the US. The editor-in-chief of Channel3Now issued an apology on July 31, two days after the Southport stabbing, over the publication of misleading information.
Preliminary investigations suggest that the suspect's only objective was to generate revenue by sharing sensational content. In an article published just hours after the Southport attack on July 29, the suspect spread misinformation which garnered wide attention in the digital media sphere. The accused claimed in court that he had merely shared content about the Southport attacker on social media platforms and was not the primary source of the misinformation.
A dance class was the tragic target of an attack, where three girls aged six, seven, and nine lost their lives while eight other children and two adults were injured, attempting to assist. Sadly, a 17-year-old native of Wales, whose parents hail from Rwanda, a predominantly Christian nation, was arrested in connection to the incident. False information about the attacker circulated rapidly across online networks, sparking a wave of right-wing riots that led to attacks on mosques and refugee accommodations. These riots persisted for over a week, resulting in over 1000 arrests.
The false information about the attacker spread on Channel3Now originated from The United Kingdom, specifically a Twitter account named Channel3Now. The escalation of violence in The United Kingdom, particularly from far-right extremists, can be partly attributed to this misinformation.
