UK bomb suspect: Australian police 'may need more time'

A two-day extension for Australian police to hold a man in connection with the attempted UK car bombings may not be enough to sift through a mountain of potential evidence, they said today.

Federal Police Commissioner Mick Keelty said investigators may again invoke anti-terror laws and ask a magistrate for permission to detain Mohammad Haneef for longer, as they cross-check information gathered in a series of raids across Australia with evidence from Britain.

Haneef, a 27-year-old Indian who came to Australia from Britain last year, has been held without charge since July 2 when he was arrested as he tried to leave Australia for India with a one-way ticket.

His lawyer, Peter Russo, said his client was being denied natural justice and demanded he be charged or released.

A magistrate yesterday granted police two more days to hold Haneef while they conducted their investigation, but turned down their request for five days.

“We asked for a period of time that we thought that was reasonable in terms of the amount of work that we envisaged needs to be done before we can be in a position to decide one way or the other about Dr Haneef’s fate,” Keelty told Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio today.

“If it’s required … we’ll go back to the magistrate” and ask for more time.“

Up to 230 federal and state police have been involved in the investigation in Australia, which has included repeated raids on Haneef’s apartment in Queensland state, two hospitals in Western Australia state and interviews in three states.

Keelty said it was one of the largest counter-terrorism probes in Australia.

Two cars packed with gas cylinders and nails were discovered in central London on June 29. The next day, a flaming Jeep Cherokee smashed into security barriers at Glasgow’s airport.

Seven people are in custody in Britain with one charged – Bilal Abdullah, an Iraqi doctor identified as the passenger in the Jeep.