Haneef counters, says chat taken out of context

Even as Mohd Haneef insisted today that the chatroom conversations being cited as proof of his terror links had been taken out of context...

Even as Mohd Haneef insisted today that the chatroom conversations being cited as proof of his terror links had been taken out of context, the Australian police chief said the Indian doctor could still face charges in the foiled British attacks.

“The investigation is far from complete,” Australian Federal Police Commissioner (AFP) Mick Keelty said about the probe that led to the arrest of Haneef on July 2. “It’s still potentially possible that a brief of evidence will still be submitted against Dr Haneef.”

Keelty’s comments came a day after Australian Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews said the AFP continues to suspect that Haneef was part of the failed terror plot after releasing some “secret” evidence. He also said he was withholding other evidence so that the investigations in Australia and overseas would not be compromised.

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The “secret” evidence Andrews cited was “suspicious” phone calls and an Internet chat Haneef had with his brother based in India, Mohd Shoaib, after the UK bomb plot was foiled.

But Haneef’s lawyers said today that details of the conversations were old news, raised during Haneef’s successful bail application last month.

“Andrews has been going around saying that this is part of the secret information which the public weren’t allowed to see, but it was out in the public arena two and a half weeks ago,” lawyer Peter Russo told SBS television from India.

At a press conference in Bangalore, Haneef said the portions of the Net chat had been quoted out of context. “A few lines from the chat have been taken. If you see the entire chat you will be able to understand what was said.”

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Quoting from the transcripts, the Australian authorities said Shoaib told Haneef “Nothing has been found out about you”, and then asked him “When are you getting out?”. Shoaib also told his older brother “Tell them you have a newborn daughter, don’t say anything else”.

Shoaib also said in a seeming reference to the mother of their cousin Kafeel Ahmed, the key figure in the UK terror plot of June 29 and 30, and a SIM card Haneef had lent to Kafeel, “Aunty said Kafeel used it in some protest there”.

The contents of the chat had come up during a second round of interrogation with the Australian police and he had already answered questions pertaining to the chat, Haneef said.

With his visa matter still before the Australian courts, Haneef added that he had been advised against talking too much on the issue. He refused to comment on whether he was leaving Australia in a hurry after the foiled UK attacks out of fear of being linked to them.