September 4, 2007...9:36 pm
Australian State Queensland Premier, Beattie calls AFP “Keystone Cops” after false report of terror threat to Gold Coast
Haneef was arrested at Brisbane airport on July 2 while trying to board a flight on a one-way ticket to India, and was held for a week without charges being laid, in the first use of tough terrorism laws, reported The Canberra Times (28/7/2007, p.B3).
Very leaky investigation: Premier Peter Beattie had called the AFP ‘the Keystone Cops’ and their investigation into Haneef ‘almost farcical’ after a newspaper report said Haneef had been linked with an alleged threat to the Q1 skyscraper on the Gold Coast. There was persistent leaking by the police, but there was no apology yesterday for the seemingly endless stream of leaks from the investigating task force. At a press conference in Perth on Thursday, Keelty spoke publicly for the first time since it was revealed prosecutors had wrongly claimed Haneef’s SIM card was found in the burning vehicle used in the attack on Glasgow Airport.
Error not made by AFP: “I point out that error was made by the prosecutor,” Keelty said. “The facts that the AFP or the investigation team had put before the court were correct. The prosecutor made an oral submission that was incorrect.” He said he was disappointed with Beattie’s criticisms but said he understood his frustrations over the case. By criticising the Haneef investigation, Beattie was criticising his own police force, he said. Keelty revealed one of the team involved in the case dropped dead while on duty last week, on the same day Andrews cancelled Haneef’s visa.
Under a lot of pressure: “There are enormous pressures here,” Keelty said. Keelty repeatedly said the AFP had acted professionally. By ignoring the leaking, he put the emphasis on the main mistake, which was made in the court room by one of the prosecutor’s team.
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