Indian doctor wins back Australian visa

Aug 21, 2007, 6:11 GMT

Sydney - An Indian doctor who left Australia after a terrorism charge against him was dropped should have his visa reinstated so he can return to work at a Brisbane hospital, a Queensland court ruled Tuesday.

Mohammed Haneef's visa was revoked because of a suspected connection with the failed bomb attacks in Britain. The government alleged Haneef's hurried attempt at departing from Brisbane airport on a one-way ticket to Bangalore suggested he had foreknowledge of the botched car bombings in London and Glasgow.

The 27-year-old was arrested July 2 and held for almost a month.

Police initially alleged he had supplied a mobile phone SIM card to the group behind the failed bombings and that it had been found in a blazing Jeep that his cousin, Kafeel Ahmed, is alleged to have rammed into Glasgow airport.

   The police subsequently retracted that allegation, saying the SIM card was found with Kafeel Ahmed's brother, Sabeel Ahmed, in a house in Liverpool.

The location of the SIM card was one of two mistakes admitted to by the public prosecutor and which led to the criminal case against Haneef collapsing. The other mistake was where Haneef had lived in Britain before arriving in Australia in September last year.

Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews said he would appeal the decision to a higher court.

Andrews cancelled the visa on character grounds last month, saying he had a reasonable suspicion Haneef had 'associated' with terrorists.

'I acted for the national security of Australia,' Andrews said. 'I make no apology about that whatsover.'

Haneef's passport was returned to him and he left Australia voluntarily on July 28.