Pakistani judge acquits a man over spreading misinformation that sparked riots in UK

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

A Pakistani judge on Monday acquitted a man who was charged with spreading misinformation that helped spark widespread rioting in the U.K. earlier this month, officials said.

The decision came less than a week after Farhan Asif, a 32-year-old web developer, was arrested in a raid on his home in Lahore, the capital of eastern Punjab province, and charged with cyberterrorism.

After a hearing Monday, the judge ordered the release of Asif, who walked free. He told the judge that he deleted his post on social media only six hours after realizing that it was not correct.

Federal investigators told the judge that they had no evidence to prove that he was guilty of intentionally spreading misinformation, Rana Rizwan, a defense lawyer, told reporters.

The Federal Investigation Agency had accused Asif of spreading misinformation on YouTube and Facebook about the British teenage suspect in a stabbing attack that killed three girls and injured 10 other people on July 29 at a dance class in northwest England.