Lawyers for Sri Lankan national Mohamed Nizamdeen confirm they are planning to sue two Australian media outlets

University of NSW student wrongly accused of terrorism offences plans to sue police and media

A Sri Lankan national charged with terrorism offences that were later dropped plans to sue several Australian media outlets for defamation over their coverage of his case.

Mohamed Kamer Nilar Nizamdeen, 25, was arrested in August and wrongly charged with creating a document in connection with preparing for a terrorist act.

Police alleged a notebook found in a workspace sometimes used by the University of New South Wales (UNSW) PhD student had laid out a graphic “Isis-affiliated” terrorist plot that reportedly targeted prominent Australian political figures and landmarks.

Sydney’s Daily Telegraph was among the media outlets that covered the case, producing a front page the day after Nizamdeen’s arrest showing him wearing a keffiyeh headdress with the headline: “Poster boy for terror”.

The Seven Network’s Robert Ovadia told viewers Nizamdeen had “embraced all the opportunities Australia has given him, but [is] very much an anti-hero now”.

Police drop terrorism charges against University of New South Wales student Read more

At a news conference on the day of the arrest, the prime minister, Scott Morrison, described the case as “a lone-wolf action from this individual that was caught in a very early phase”.

In September, police announced they were dropping all charges against Nizamdeen after two handwriting experts determined it was unclear if he had authored the text in the notebook.

Lawyers for Nizamdeen, who has since returned to Sri Lanka, said they were preparing to file legal action against the media outlets and police.

“Definitely we are looking at [suing] two media outlets for defamation, plus a civil suit against the state police,” said Farman Cassim, who is Nizamdeen’s uncle and lawyer, in the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo.

His Australian legal team has confirmed a lawsuit is being prepared. The Guardian understands at least one NewsCorp title is among the outlets being considered.

Nizamdeen told a news conference in Colombo this month he had been the victim of an “embarrassing and biased” police investigation.

“Nowhere in the world would you have had the media circus which immediately followed my wrongful arrest,” he said.

“I strongly believe this happened because I am an Asian on a student visa and [police] had the wrong impression that I did not have the resources to defend or declare my innocence.”

The police declined to apologise to Nizamdeen after his release, saying the investigation was continuing and “we can never be complacent because the terrorist threat in Australia and NSW is very, very real”.

They said they were now focusing “on the possibility that the content of the notebook has been created by other people”.

Relatives of Nizamdeen had claimed he was framed by a colleague with a vendetta against him.