The Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews had “no information to indicate that Dr Mohammed Haneef was a danger to the community or that he would engage in acts of violence”.

Then why did they detain him and subsequently cancel his visa? This is precisely what Haneef’s legal team in Australia is asking the government, especially Mr Andrews.

Haneef’s lawyer Peter Russo, partner of Australian criminal law firm, Ryan & Bosscher told Deccan Herald that he has procured a copy of an email, obtained under the Freedom of Information laws, which shows that “contingencies” were reportedly developed to “thwart the court’s decision to release Haneef on bail.”

The email was purportedly written by Brisbane-based AFP officer and counter-terrorism coordinator David Craig to the AFP’s counter-terrorism unit on July 14. It stated that the police had a plan to ensure that Haneef remained behind bars by having Mr Andrews cancel his visa under the Migration Act, if Brisbane magistrate Jacqui Payne granted him bail.

Mr Andrews had justified his decision to cancel Haneef’s visa based on the advice from the AFP and a character test which Haneef had failed. “The mail was forwarded to Immigration Department officer Peter White on July 16,” Russo said. He released the application for a criminal justice certificate showing that AFP officer Prendergast and the law enforcement authorities, generally, had “no information to indicate that Haneef was a danger to the community or that he would engage in acts of violence”.

“Our legal team had procured the information some time ago but we were holding it back to see how far Mr Andrews would take the case. Mr Russo on Friday released the information because the final hearing of the reinstatement of Haneef’s visa is scheduled on November 16. We want the people of Australia and India to know the truth,” said Haneef’s cousin and spokesperson Imran Siddique.

“The public deserve an explanation from Mr Keelty, commissioner of the AFP and Mr Andrews as to why they used the Migration Act to ‘contain and detain’ Haneef when all the statements of the AFP on the public record were that he provided no danger to the public. We have also sought an explanation from the minister on his department’s involvement in the “contingency plan,” stated Mr Russo, adding that there’s a need for a full and open inquiry into the actions of the AFP and their treatment of Haneef.

Haneef is in Bangalore with his family, waiting for his visa to be re-instated so that he could return to Australia and complete his studies.