Mohammed Haneef, the Indian doctor accused of being linked with the failed car bomb attacks in Britain, has the right to return and work in Australia after a court in Queensland decided that his visa was wrongly revoked.
Haneef was suspected of aiding the group who tried to detonate a car bomb at Glasgow airport last month and allegedly carry out two other similar attacks in London. After the news of the failed bombings broke out, Haneef was arrested as he was waiting for a plane to take him back to India.
Investigators found out that he bought a one-way plane ticket and presumed Haneef was tied in some way with the foiled car bombings in Britain. Authorities decided to arrest him on July 2 and kept him in detention for almost a month based on the Australian terrorism laws.
Initially, the Australian police said a SIM card belonging to the 27-year-old doctor was found in the Jeep Cherokee rammed by his cousin Kafeel Ahmed and another man, Bilal Abdullah, into the main terminal of Glasgow International Airport on June 30.
Haneef was accused of deliberately giving the SIM card to his cousin and knew about his plans, but after several days the police acknowledged that the SIM card was actually found in the possession of Kafeel’s brother Sabeel Ahmed in a house in Liverpool.
The mist surrounding the SIM card’s whereabouts and where did Haneef live in Britain prior to his arrival in Australia in 2006, were the two mistakes made by investigators and led to the crumbling of the entire case built arround the doctor working for the Brisbane hospital.
Even so, his visa was revoked by Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews. The official said he suspected Haneef of associating with terrorists and decided to cancel his work visa.
“I acted for the national security of Australia. I make no apology about that whatsoever,” Andrews said.
Haneef left the country on July 29 after his passport was returned to him, but he also requested a court to review Andrew’s decision.