Australian police helped two more members of the Iranian women's football delegation slip their minders to claim asylum, but one has changed her mind and decided to go back to Iran.
An Indian-origin couple currently serving jail terms in Australia for enslaving a woman for eight years has been slapped with a fresh penalty and ordered to forfeit the proceeds from the sale of their home, police said.
The CBI has registered 11 cases against cyber criminals involved in financial fraud using the internet and the agency conducted searches at 87 locations while 28 locations were raided by the state police forces, they said.
A major operation is underway after packages were delivered to at least 10 international consulates across Melbourne.
In a major relief for Indian doctor Mohammad Haneef, who was wrongly accused on terror charges in Australia, the country's police dropped its probe into the case on Friday. "At the present time, there is insufficient evidence to institute proceedings against Dr Haneef for any criminal offence," said Australian Federal Police in a statement. "The AFP has concluded its active inquiries, although some overseas inquiries are yet to be fully resolved," it added.
"An Australian Federal Police officer has been sent to the home country of Gold Coast-based Dr Haneef," Federal Attorney-General Philip Ruddock said.
Australian dual Olympic silver medal-winning kayaker Nathan Baggaley has been arrested following a drug bust, local media reported on Sunday.
Police said it was an Islamist-inspired plot, but they did not link the plan to a specific terrorist group.
Admitting their mistake, Australian government on Thursday formally apologised to Indian doctor Mohammed Haneef and said sorry for wrongly detaining him on terror charges.
Giving out a clean chit to WikiLeaks and its founder Julian Assange, the Australian police has said that it did not find any breach of law by the whistleblower in his home country.
Australian police claimed to have foiled a major terror plot in Melbourne on Tuesday with the arrest of four persons linked to a Somali militant group who were allegedly planning a suicide shoot-out on a military base. Police officials said they have pinpointed an Australian terrorist cell supporting and directly involved in insurgency activity in Somalia.
Andrews will tell the Rudd government-ordered inquiry into the bungled case, which opens on Wednesday, that the Australian Federal Police did not inform him of evidence debunking allegations against Dr Haneef's second-cousin Sabeel Ahmed - allegations that had led to the subsequent terrorism charge against the Gold Coast doctor. The inquiry, headed by former Supreme Court judge John Clarke, will probe if the AFP ignored the vital information.
The AFP was under pressure to make public some of its submissions to the inquiry since the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation had allowed the public release of an abridged version of its submission in July.
Australian Federal Police chief Mick Keelty and Attorney-General Robert McClelland discussed ways to establish closer cooperation in terrorism investigations, anti-radicalisation programmes and the Haneef case. The meeting came close on the heels of an AFP statement that the probe into Haneef's case, that had cost the force a whopping US$ 7 million, was still continuing, with nine officers working full time. A judicial inquiry into the investigation will start soon.
Former Australian immigration minister Kevin Andrews did not notify the police and other senior officials before revoking Indian doctor Mohammed Haneef's visa, a move that 'spoiled' the investigations. Andrews' decision to revoke Haneef's visa caught the police and senior immigration officials completely by surprise. "If Haneef had been freed on bail, the police would have kept him under surveillance and gathered any evidence that might be out there," a source said.
Asking the details of the probe, Greens Senator Kerry Nettle, in a pointed question, to AFP wondered whether the police was on a 'witch-hunt' to justify its handling of the Haneef case and said the Bangalore doctor should be left alone.
In an interview to The Australian published on Monday, Haneef said the inquiry should be given powers to ensure all documents are released, and witnesses, including Australian Federal Police Chief Mick Keelty and former immigration minister Kevin Andrews -- as well as investigators, prosecutors and bureaucrats -- are compelled to give evidence and face cross-examination.
The Australian police spent a whopping $ 7.5 million probing Mohammed Haneef, who was wrongly accused of terror charges, the country's police chief said on Monday while claiming that the Indian doctor did not have a case for compensation.
Haneef is charged with "recklessly" supporting a terrorist organisation with the Australian Federal Police alleging he supported foiled plans to detonate truck bombs in Britain.
Prosecutors in the Mohamed Haneef probe were under 'extreme pressure' from the Australian Federal Police to charge the Indian doctor and had no access to vital evidence to judge the strength of the case against him, a public inquiry commission has been told.In a submission to the John Clarke inquiry into the bungled case of the 28-year-old medic accused of terrorism, Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions has disclosed how its officers were not supplied with evidence.
The Indian doctor who is being questioned was working in a hospital in the western Australian city of Perth since April this year.
The Australian police have said that Mohamed Haneef, who was wrongly accused of links to the failed UK terror plot, continued to remain under investigation despite the government ruling out an appeal against a court decision to reinstate his visa.
Australian federal police chief Mick Keelty has said that he had personally warned prosecutors that there was insufficient evidence against Indian doctor Mohamed Haneef, who was cleared of terror charges after his arrest over the failed car bombings in the United Kingdom. Haneef, who went back to India following his release, had spent four weeks behind bars in July after being charged with recklessly providing support to a terrorist organisation.
The four alleged contract killers, identified as Robinson, Junaid, Yunus and Manish, were arrested on June 3 following which they were sent to police remand and interrogated for five days.
During the interview Haneef talks about his relationship with his cousins Kafeel and Sabeel, allegedly involved in the terror plot in the UK
The AFP has provided Haneef's lawyers with the transcript of the 12 hours they interrogated the Indian doctor before charging him on July 14 with providing resources to a terrorist organisation.
The case for restoration of Haneef's work visa will be heard in the federal court which may give some indication of the strength of the alleged national security evidence.
Australian police have admitted they had a secret "contingency" plan to keep Indian doctor Mohamed Haneef, then a terror suspect in the failed terror plots in London and Glasgow, behind bars if he was bailed by a Brisbane court.
There were "errors of fact" made during the Australian Federal Police (AFP)-led investigation into the case, an official review released in Australia on Friday said.
Haneef's lawyers have released the full transcript of a secret second interview with the Australian Police
Mohammed Asif Ali, detained in connection with Indian doctor Mohamed Haneef's case, is believed to be trying to leave Australia as early as Thursday.
He is being investigated over possible connections to people with terrorist associations.
Federal Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd said he is pleased with the way Australian Federal Police handled the case.
Haneef, who has been in custody for 11 days, is yet to be charged with any offence.
His lawyers, civil libertarians and legal experts have criticised the 'draconian' anti-terror laws under which police are operating and questioned whether they are doing enough to clear or charge him.
Forty one-year-old Arumugam Rajeevan has been charged with being a member of a terrorist organisation, providing support or resources to a terrorist outfit and making an asset available to a proscribed entity.
Doctor Mohamed Haneef, wrongly accused of involvement in the failed United Kingdom bombing plot, was awaiting a full clearance from the Australian police before coming back to the country, his lawyer has said. "They're really the ones holding the whole matter up because of the suspicion that they've created by saying things like he (Haneef) is still under investigation," said Peter Russo.
The men, who are Australian citizens, were arrested and released without charge in November 2005.
Australian Federal Police Commissioner Mick Keelty on Wednesday said Mohammed Asif Ali was released without any charge after being questioned.
The court heard that Vinayagamoorthy bought 3500 electronic transmitters worth $97,000 between September 2003 and October 2005.
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