Southport stabbing latest: Police question 17-year-old after mass ...

By Shayan Sardarizadeh

Almost immediately after the deadly stabbing attack in Southport, baseless rumours began spreading online.

While police and emergency services were still responding to the attack, a widely shared LinkedIn post claimed without evidence that "a migrant" was responsible.

But the most viral source of rumours so far has been a report published on an obscure US-based website which claims to cover "breaking news".

The report falsely claims that that the 17-year old suspect is an "asylum seeker" named "Ali Al-Shakati", who "arrived in the UK by boat last year".

Merseyside Police has confirmed that the suspect was born in Cardiff, and has yet to identify the 17-year-old.

The report also adds that the suspect was "on the MI6 watch list", despite the fact that it is MI5, not MI6, that deals with domestic counter-terrorism cases.

The name "Ali Al-Shakati" has since been widely shared online in posts viewed by millions.

Some other outlets, including Russia's RT news channel, have also reported this name, citing the US-based website.

Other variations of the report, including the claim that the suspect was a "Channel migrant", have also been widely circulated.