Authorities in Pakistan have charged a man with cyber terrorism, in relation to disinformation thought to have fuelled UK unrest.

Police told the BBC that Farhan Asif was linked to a website which posted an article in the hours after last month’s Southport attack giving a false name for the suspected attacker – and suggesting he was an asylum seeker who arrived in the UK by boat.

The article, published on the website Channel3Now, 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.

On Tuesday, police in Lahore said they had questioned Mr Asif about the article.

Mr Asif said he had written it based on information copied from a UK-based social media account without verifying it, a police officer told the BBC.

Mr Asif said that he ran the website alone.

Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency has since taken up the case and will investigate whether anyone further is involved.

BBC Verify previously tracked down several people linked to Channel3Now and questioned a person who claimed to be “management” at the site.

That person told the BBC that the publication of the false name “shouldn’t have happened, but it was an error, not intentional”.