Click to play videoNew Delhi: Just when it seemed that the furore over Mohammed Haneef had died down -- all charges against him in the UK terror attacks had been dropped and he had been allowed to return to India -- the Australian government says it has evidence that Haneef was involved in the failed terror attempt.
Australian Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews has stated that Internet chatroom conversations between Mohammed Haneef and his brother in India showed he was aware of the bomb plot in UK.
Andrews said that his decision to cancel the doctor's working visa were based on the chatroom conversations. He added that Solicitor General David Bennett -- upon seeing the content of the conversations -- had also advised him to cancel Haneef's visa.
"I will not release the full, protected material as I have been advised by the Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police that this would have the effect of prejudicing or jeopardising further investigations," Andrews was quoted by news agency PTI as saying.
"In it, Haneef's brother says 'nothing has been found out about you' and asked when Haneef would be getting out, to which Haneef replied 'today'," Andrews was further quoted as saying.
Haneef's brother then asked whether Haneef had got permission to take leave from work and what he had told the hospital.
To this Haneef is quoted as saying that he had told the hospital his "wife had given birth to a daughter, and nothing else".
His brother also told him not to delay his departure and not to let anyone else use his number in Australia, nor to give it to anyone, adding 'auntie' told him that Kafeel (the man who drove the car into the Glasgow airport and Haneef's cousin) had used it in some sort of protest.
Meanwhile, Haneef's lawyer, Peter Russo, speaking from Bangalore, has said that there is nothing new in these revelations which had been already been covered in a police interview.
Russo also said that this was more "smoke and mirrors" and not confidential evidence.
Haneef, arrested on July 2 on charges of involvement in the failed UK bombings was set free on July 27 after the charges were dropped in the face of crumbling evidence against him by Australian authorities.
Australian prosecutors had told a court that Haneef's SIM card was found in the burning Jeep that had been driven into an airport terminal in Glasgow.
However, prosecution lawyers agreed on Friday that the SIM card was in fact found at bomber Sabeel's home in Liverpool -- eight hours after the Kafeel Ahmed's vehicle, which he rammed into the Glasgow airport, was examined by the police.
Haneef had all along said that he had left his SIM card with Sabeel in Liverpool in mid-2006, when nHaneef left Britain to work in Australia.
(With inputs from PTI)
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