Pakistani authorities have charged a man accused of spreading disinformation thought to have fuelled unrest in the UK with cyber terrorism.
Police told the BBC that Farhan Asif was linked to Channel3Now, a website which posted an article in the hours after the Southport attack last month which gave a false name for the attacker and suggested he was an asylum seeker who arrived in the UK by boat last year.
The article was widely quoted in viral posts on social media. Unrest broke out in England and Northern Ireland after the fatal stabbing attack, in which three young girls died. This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
Source: BBC
In other news – Presenter Lauren Laverne reveals cancer diagnosis
BBC presenter Lauren Laverne has revealed she has been diagnosed with cancer and is recovering in hospital. Writing on Instagram on Wednesday morning, Laverne said the cancer was “caught early and unexpectedly during a screening test”.
She also told followers she was “expected to make a full recovery” and thanked the medical staff who had cared for her. Laverne is the host of BBC Radio 6 Music’s breakfast show, and also presents BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs. Read more
