A viral post shared on X claims U.K. police purportedly arrested an 11-year-old for sharing “mean tweets” on social media.

BREAKING: British police have just arrested an 11 year old over his “mean tweets” posted on social media. pic.twitter.com/Gc7LYx66S9

— aka (@akafacehots) August 28, 2024

Verdict: Misleading

An 11-year-old was arrested in Middlesbrough, U.K. for “disorder” during recent riots, not posting “mean tweets” on social media, according to an Aug. 28 article from Sky News. A photo of U.K. police preparing to conduct a raid shared via the viral X post can be traced back to the same Sky News article. In addition, a spokesperson for the Cleveland Police denied the claim’s validity in an email to Check Your Fact.

Fact Check:

Farhan Asif, a 32-year-old Pakistani man, was acquitted for “spreading misinformation” that prompted riots in the U.K., according to The Associated Press. Asif was arrested in a raid on his Lahore home after he purportedly made posts on YouTube and Facebook about a stabbing that killed three children in Southport, the outlet reported.

The X post, viewed over two million times, claims U.K. police purportedly arrested an 11-year-old for sharing “mean tweets” on social media. “BREAKING: British police have just arrested an 11 year old over his ‘mean tweets’ posted on social media,” the post’s caption reads. The post includes a photo of what appears to be British police preparing to raid a home.

The claim is misleading. An 11-year-old was arrested in Middlesbrough, U.K. for “disorder” during recent riots, not posting “mean tweets” on social media, according to an August 28 article from Sky News. In addition, a photo included in the article matches that of the viral X post. The image’s caption indicates that it shows “Cleveland Police officers raid a home in Middlesbrough during this morning’s arrest.”

Likewise, an Aug. 29 statement shared via the Cleveland Police’s website reveals an 11-year-old was among a group of at least 14 people who were arrested for allegedly “being involved in the Middlesbrough disorder.” According to the same statement, “five juveniles were arrested on suspicion of violent disorder and transported to custody for questioning.” There is no mention of “mean tweets” playing any role in the arrests.

In addition, Check Your Fact found no credible news reports to support the claim. Actually, the opposite is true. On August 30, Reuters reported the claim was misleading, citing the same online statement shared via the Cleveland Police’s website. In addition, a Cleveland Police spokesperson denied the claim the 11-year-old had been arrested for sharing “mean tweets” in an email to the outlet.

“We haven’t arrested an 11-year-old for sending mean tweets,” the same spokesperson said. (RELATED: Viral X Image Purporting To Show U.K. Police Bowing To Muslims Is AI-Generated)

Riots occurred in the U.K. after three young children died as a result of a stabbing in Southport, according to The Washington Post. The riots were prompted by false claims that the alleged attacker was an “illegal immigrant,” the outlet reported.

A spokesperson for the Cleveland Police also denied the claim’s validity in an email to Check Your Fact.

“No 11-year-old has been arrested on suspicion of sharing mean tweets. An 11-year-old was arrested on suspicion of violent disorder in Middlesbrough and is on conditional bail,” the same spokesperson said.