Australian
NRI Dr. arrested in connection with a British bomb plot,
blames a mobile phone SIM card
Australia, July 07, 2007
Abrar Alvi
In connection with the terror attacks in London, NRI Dr Mohammed
Haneef, 27, Indian citizen, was arrested on July 02, at the Brisbane
Airport while trying to board a plane to India with a one-way
ticket. The police traced calls between his phone and that of
at least one of the other bomb plot suspects. This call was lengthy
conversation and possible that his friend in UK tipped off that
the police might after him
His brother, Shoaib says that Haneef was returning to India to
see his infant daughter and niece.
His father-in-law Afshaq Ahmed said, Dr Haneef gave the card
to a friend before he left Britain last year for Australia. A
SIM, or subscriber identity module, card is a removable card for
mobile phones, allowing a user to change phones by removing the
card from one mobile and inserting it into another.
He wanted to take his wife and daughter to Australia after getting
the infant a passport, and so traveled without a return ticket.
The police became suspicious that he was fleeing Australia.
The police have also arrested seven people and most of them in
medical field in UK:
- NRI, Dr. Sabeel Ahmed, 26, working at the Warrington Hospital
in Liverpool. He is from Bangalore
- Dr. Bilal Talal Samad Abdullah, diabetes specialist at Royal
Alexandra Hospital in Paisley. He is from Iraq
- Dr. Mohammad Asha, 26. is of Palestinian descent but grew
up in Jordan.
- Dr. Mohammad Asha's wife Marwah Dana Asha, a laboratory researcher.
- Kafeel Ahmed with 90 percent burns due to the car blaze.
It is not confirmed, he is a doctor or other profession
- Two more unnamed medical student
NRIs in Australia are very concerned about Dr Haneef's arrest.
There may possible backlash against NRIs:
Dr. Sunder Nath from Sydney said that we are more than 230,00
NRIs in Australia, had a great respect but now people are looking
us as a terrorist. In every society there are stereotyped people,
now it is getting worse for us in Australia.
Sant Singh, a hotel owner said, the federal government will make
some changes in immigration. These changes may be made to security
procedures for the people who are applying for working visas in
Australia. NRI Doctors are making good money in these countries,
now I am in fear that patient will make a choice to go to other
non-immigrant doctors.