Recent reporting indicates that an individual in Pakistan was arrested and charged with cyberterrorism for their alleged role in spreading misinformation that fueled riots in the United Kingdom.

According to a senior investigator in Lahore, Pakistan, the suspect, identified as a freelance web developer, allegedly spread false information on social media platforms like YouTube and Facebook. The misinformation was related to a stabbing incident in Southport, England, and falsely claimed that the attacker was an asylum seeker who had recently arrived in the UK.

Police stated that the false reports were widely disseminated and are blamed for igniting a week of rioting across the UK, which led to over 1,000 arrests. Authorities in the UK have blamed far-right agitators for stoking the violent unrest by continuing to spread misinformation and promoting violent demonstrations online. The arrested individual is accused of running a social media account that was among the first to report the false name of the attacker.

The case has been handed over to Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency, which handles cases related to cyberterrorism. While the individual claimed to have only reposted the information and not been the source of it, authorities have stated that this act amounts to cyberterrorism and that the arrest is a message to others who spread unverified information online. It is unclear if the UK has requested the suspect's extradition.