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Aussie police drop bid to extend terror suspect's detention

Australian police yesterday dropped a request to extend the detention of a suspect in the failed British terrorism attacks, but he was not likely to be released immediately and could still be charged.

Australian Federal Police withdrew their application to a magistrate to extend the detention of Indian doctor Muhammad Haneef beyond yesterday under counterterrorism laws, a spokesman said on condition of anonymity.

The move meant that police had 12 hours left to question Haneef before either charging him or releasing him. Under the laws, the clock runs only when police are actively interviewing Haneef -- meaning that, with breaks included, the deadline could be further off in real time.

Haneef, 27, who came to Australia from Britain last year, was arrested on July 2 as he tried to leave the eastern city of Brisbane for India on a one-way ticket.

Police say they are investigating links between Haneef and some of the seven suspects held in connection with two bomb-laden cars found in London on June 29 and an attack on a Glasgow airport the next day.

Police lodged an application on Wednesday to keep Haneef in custody -- but not under questioning -- while they collected potential evidence and sifted through a vast amount of computer data, phone records and other material already seized.

Haneef's lawyers opposed the extension, arguing that he was being denied natural justice, and the case returned to court yesterday, where the application was withdrawn.

Meanwhile, a newspaper report cited police documents lodged with the court as saying they suspected Haneef "provided support to the terrorist organization responsible for the terrorist acts in London and/or Glasgow."

But the massive investigation has failed to uncover enough evidence to charge him, the documents said, according to the Australian newspaper yesterday.

Police had sought to keep Haneef in custody because if he were free it would be more difficult to monitor his movements and his communication with others, the report said.

"If he was to communicate with people who were either involved in or associated with the terrorist acts he could take steps to have potentially incriminating evidence that has not been located destroyed," the documents said.
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