Australia to hold Haneef inquiry

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The Australian government has launched an investigation into the handling of the case against former terrorism suspect Dr Mohammed Haneef.

Dr Haneef was charged with supporting a terrorist organisation involved in bomb plots in the UK last year.

But the case against him collapsed and the charges were withdrawn.

The review is to be carried out by a former Supreme Court justice, John Clarke. He will report his findings by the end of September.

Return to Australia

The investigation into Dr Mohammed Haneef has cost some A$7m ($6.6, £3.3), involved 450 law enforcement officials and is technically still in progress.

But it was badly bungled from the start, with the Australian Federal Police likened to the Keystone Cops by senior Labor Party politicians.

The police arrested the Indian doctor on the Gold Coast in Queensland in July 2007.

Prosecutors said his mobile phone SIM card had been given to suspected terrorists in the UK and found at the site of a planned car bomb attack at Glasgow Airport.

But that was not in fact true, and as soon as the media reported this error the case against Dr Haneef started to collapse.

Even after the criminal charge against him was dropped, the Howard government cancelled the Indian's visa - another decision which this judicial inquiry will look into.

Dr Haneef's visa has now been restored by the new government and he has indicated he would like to return to Australia to resume his medical career.