A woman is accused of inciting racial hatred on social media following the knife attack in Southport.
The 55-year-old, from near Chester, was previously arrested following an online post that contained inaccurate information about the identity of the suspect accused of murdering three young girls in Southport, Cheshire Police said.
She is being interrogated in police custody.
Chief Supt. Alison Ross emphasized the dangers of releasing unverified information.
Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, were stabbed to death in Southport after an attacker entered a Taylor Swift-themed dance workshop. Ten other people were seriously injured.
Police later warned that the name circulating on social media, allegedly the suspect, was incorrect.
The woman was arrested on suspicion of publishing written materials intended to incite racial hatred and spread false information, Cheshire Police confirmed.
Since the knife attack in Southport, there have been unrest across the country. The blame lies with misinformation spread on the Internet.
Ms Ross said: “We have all seen the violent unrest that has taken place across the UK over the past week, fuelled in large part by malicious and inaccurate online communications.”
“It is a stark reminder of how dangerous it is to post information on social media platforms without verifying its accuracy.”
She added: “We are all responsible for our actions, whether online or in person.”
