 | « Back to article | Print this article |
Haneef's second cousin Sabeel Ahmed, who has been charged with terrorism offences in Britain, has not been questioned in detail about the former's alleged involvement in the failed car bombings in London and Glasgow, said a report in the Sydney Morning Herald.
Legal sources in Britain and Australia have told the paper that Haneef has not been "a significant focus" of the British investigation into the foiled terrorist plots. It is believed that his name has barely been mentioned to Ahmed, who has been charged with withholding information that could prevent an act of terrorism.
It was Haneef's decision to give his mobile phone SIM card to Ahmed (with whom he once lived in Britain) that led to him being charged with recklessly providing resources to a terrorist organisation.
However, it was revealed at the weekend that his SIM card was not found at the scene of the Glasgow attack, as Commonwealth prosecutors alleged at Haneef's bail hearing, but with Ahmed in Liverpool.
It is understood that Haneef has not been questioned by British authorities, even though Scotland Yard sent a counter-terrorism investigator to Australia days after he was arrested. It is possible the Scotland Yard investigator observed the Australian Federal Police's interrogation of Haneef from another room, and may have helped draft the questions asked.
Meanwhile, two Howard Government ministers were at odds over Canberra's reasons for revoking Haneef's visa.
Deputy Prime Minister Mark Vaile claimed the Government withdrew the visa to prevent Haneef from leaving the country, contradicting Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews's announcement last week that he had revoked the visa because the suspect had failed a character test.
The contradictions on why the visa was cancelled came amid continuing criticism of the Government's treatment of Haneef.
Vaile, who sits on cabinet's National Security Committee, said the reason Haneef was detained was to keep him in the country, not to pave the way for his expulsion. "It was a decision that he (Mr Andrews) took to ensure that that individual stayed in Australia," he said. "It's not a political arrest -- I mean none of the senior ministers nor the prime minister arrested the individual concerned."
A spokeswoman for Andrews however said, "It's clear with regard to (Mr Andrews's) decision that the decision was made on character grounds based on advice from the AFP and exercising his authority under the character section of the Migration Act."