I Have had Enough Trauma - Dr Haneef Mohammad
Jul 29: Former terror suspect Mohamed Haneef says he was never a risk to Australia and would have dobbed in his relatives had he known they were plotting attacks in the UK.
Dr Haneef was due to be reunited with his family in Bangalore Sunday, having been released from custody in Australia in dramatic circumstances after a terrorism charge against him was dropped.
In a paid interview with the Nine Network's 60 Minutes program, the Indian-born Muslim said he was looking forward to spending time with his wife and baby daughter, who was born days before his arrest at Brisbane airport on July 2.
Despite his ordeal of four weeks in custody amid a bungled terrorism prosecution, Dr Haneef said he was keen to return to Australia one day to work.
However, this would depend on winning back his visa, which Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews refuses to reinstate.
"I would, even after I go back to India, I might think about coming back here," Dr Haneef said in the interview, recorded before his departure from Brisbane.
"It's just a matter of my visa to be sorted out."
Dr Haneef said all he wanted was to be reunited with his loved ones and see his daughter for the first time.
"I have to live with my family now. I've had enough trauma now," he said.
Dr Haneef had been charged with recklessly providing support to a terrorist organisation by giving his mobile phone SIM card to a relative linked to a plot to bomb targets in Britain.
But prosecutors wrongly alleged in court that Dr Haneef's SIM card had been found in a burning Jeep that crashed into Glasgow airport.
A second error related to claims the Gold Coast-based hospital registrar had lived with his cousins Sabeel and Kafeel Ahmed in the UK before arriving in Australia.
Kafeel Ahmed was allegedly driving the Jeep in the Glasgow attack while Sabeel Ahmed has been charged with withholding information relating to a terrorist act.
Asked during the interview if he was a terrorist, Dr Haneef replied: "No, it's not in my nature to ever support or involve (myself) in such activities at all."
He acknowledged visiting Kafeel Ahmed in 2004 but said they had never lived together.
"Sometimes he used to come to our place and we had family trips throughout UK actually," he said.
But he had not known Kafeel held radical views and had been startled to learn of his involvement in the bombing plot.
"I couldn't really believe that someone from my family ... would do such a thing," Dr Haneef said.
"If I had knew (sic) anything, definitely, I would have let the authorities (know), let their parents know first - who are the main sufferers now I suppose."
Federal ministers were in damage control today over the failed prosecution and Mr Andrews' refusal to reinstate his visa.
Queensland Premier Peter Beattie called for Mr Andrews to be disciplined for his "outrageous" decision on July 16 to revoke Dr Haneef's work visa after a magistrate had granted him bail.
"Now frankly, I think Kevin Andrews has got a lot to answer for," Mr Beattie told Network Ten.
"The prime minister should at the very least be disciplining him, and I think he should be the subject of an inquiry.
"Little wonder that Australian people are saying they're a bit suss about what happened."
But Mr Andrews said advice from the commonwealth solicitor-general confirmed he had been within his powers in cancelling Dr Haneef's visa on character grounds.
"His visa's been cancelled and unless there is some overturning of that by the Federal Court, it's my indication that that visa will remain cancelled," Mr Andrews told the Seven Network.
"Nothing has changed in terms of the circumstances in which I had to make a decision concerning Dr Haneef."
Dr Haneef's lawyer Peter Russo, who travelled with his client to Bangalore, expressed his anger at Mr Andrews' decision during a stopover in Bangkok.
"The minister's decision is beyond bizarre," Mr Russo said.
"The minister's decision will mystify the great majority of Australian people.
"It will make overseas people very suspicious about living and working in Australia and this negative perception will take decades to erase."
"If I had knew (sic) anything, definitely, I would have let the authorities (know), let their parents know first - who are the main sufferers now I suppose."
Federal ministers were in damage control today over the failed prosecution and Mr Andrews' refusal to reinstate his visa.
Queensland Premier Peter Beattie called for Mr Andrews to be disciplined for his "outrageous" decision on July 16 to revoke Dr Haneef's work visa after a magistrate had granted him bail.
"Now frankly, I think Kevin Andrews has got a lot to answer for," Mr Beattie told Network Ten.
"The prime minister should at the very least be disciplining him, and I think he should be the subject of an inquiry.
"Little wonder that Australian people are saying they're a bit suss about what happened."
But Mr Andrews said advice from the commonwealth solicitor-general confirmed he had been within his powers in cancelling Dr Haneef's visa on character grounds.
"His visa's been cancelled and unless there is some overturning of that by the Federal Court, it's my indication that that visa will remain cancelled," Mr Andrews told the Seven Network.
"Nothing has changed in terms of the circumstances in which I had to make a decision concerning Dr Haneef."
Dr Haneef's lawyer Peter Russo, who travelled with his client to Bangalore, expressed his anger at Mr Andrews' decision during a stopover in Bangkok.
"The minister's decision is beyond bizarre," Mr Russo said.
"The minister's decision will mystify the great majority of Australian people.
"It will make overseas people very suspicious about living and working in Australia and this negative perception will take decades to erase."
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