LAHORE: A city magistrate on Wednesday allowed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) one-day physical custody of a suspect Farhan Asif, accused of spreading disinformation on his website that fuelled anti-Muslim immigrant riots in the United Kingdom (UK).
Earlier, the FIA cybercrime wing produced the suspect, before the magistrate and sought his physical remand.
The investigating officer told the court that a case had been registered against the suspect for offences under the Prevention of Electronic Crime Act 2016.
The magistrate allowed the FIA’s request and granted a one-day physical remand of the suspect.
The UK media had found that a Lahore based freelancer was involved in spreading fake news.
The investigators said, the suspect had shared photos of a stabbing incident in England on his X account. The X account handler also posted an article on the website, holding a 17-year-old Muslim immigrant responsible for the incident.
The suspect was initially taken into custody by Lahore police and later handed over to the FIA cybercrime wing.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024