Counter terrorism authorities have defended the actions that led to the wrongful arrest of an innocent man and his extended detention in a maximum-security prison.

Mohamed Nizamdeen, a 26-year-old Sri Lankan national and University of New South Wales student, was arrested and charged on August 31 with a serious terror offence.

He spent four weeks behind bars at the notorious Goulburn Supermax prison, before the charge was sensationally dropped and he was cleared of any wrongdoing.

The discovery of a notebook at the university’s Ultimo campus, where he also worked as a casual IT support staffer, was allegedly filled with threats concocted by Arsalan Khawaja.

Australian Federal Police Assistant Commissioner Ian McCartney said the material allegedly forged by Mr Khawaja and left in Mr Nizamdeen’s desk and made “extremist” threats against “a number of high-profile politicians and iconic sites”.

The 39-year-old, who is the older brother of Australian cricket Test star Usman Khawaja, was allegedly motivated by a jealous dispute over a woman.

Police arrested Mr Khawaja in Parramatta, west of Sydney, at 8.30am today and charged him with forgery and attempting to pervert justice.

Mr Khawaja’s allegedly faked a “terror hit list” of targets included former Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and the Sydney Opera House.

Rather than part of a sinister plot, as initially suspected, the threats were allegedly made up by Khawaja, scrawled in his rival’s notebook, in an elaborate bid to frame Mr Nizamdeen.

NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Mick Willing today described Mr Khawaja’s alleged actions as “planned and calculated”.

MODEL STUDENT’S ‘LIFE IN RUINS’

Mr Nizamdeen was a model PhD student who loved his life Australia, was actively involved in campus activities and even featured in UNSW promotional material.

All of that came to an end in late August when the alleged jealous actions of a rival plunged the young man’s existence into unimaginable chaos.

Mr Nizamdeen has since returned to Colombo in Sri Lanka, abandoning his studies in Australia, saying his life has been destroyed.

Speaking to the ABC today, he said he would not return to Australia as “the whole saga has clearly ruined my future”.



“I am completely exonerated, and I hope the media and the Sri Lankan public can help me pick up the pieces of my shattered life,” he told the ABC.

Friends expressed their dismay following his highly publicised arrest, which was sparked by the discovery of the concocted notebook in his work desk.

It would be a month until investigators realised the mistake, withdrew the charge and released Mr Nizamdeen from his time behind bars alongside some of the country’s worst criminals.

Assistant Commissioner Willing stopped short of apologising to Mr Nizamdeen today.

“We regret the circumstances which led to him being charged and the time he subsequently spent in custody. We feel very sorry for him and what has happened to him,” Assistant Commissioner Willing said.

“We regret what has occurred but as you would understand we are very limited in what we can say given the (civil) matter is before the court at the moment.”

INVESTIGATION TO BE REVIEWED

Counter terrorism authorities face questions over their handling of the matter, for which they are now being sued.

It has been revealed that the investigation will be subject to a review to determine what could have been done differently.

“At all times, we’ve acted in good faith, we’ve acted expeditiously,” Assistant Commissioner McCartney said. “We stand by the investigators and the decision they made at the time. We stand by the work that’s been done.”

NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Mick Willing defended the actions of investigators and said terrorism cases required a unique approach.

“While there was and understandably will be commentary around the case, matters concerning counter terrorism differ from other investigations as there is a need to ensure public safety is protected first and foremost,” he said.

“We can never be complacent because of the terror threat in this country continues to be very real. The very nature of these offences means we often need to intervene early.”

He said the state’s Joint Counter Terrorism Team included some of the “best investigators in the country”.

The probe has “taken up an enormous amount of resources and a lot of time”, he said.

“This matter is complicated and these details will all come out in the brief of evidence presented to the court,” Assistant Commissioner Willing said.

“We had to act early given the nature of the threats contained in that notebook.”

On whether the relatively low seriousness of the charges Mr Khawaja now faces adequately reflects the consequences suffered by his alleged victim, Assistant Commissioner Willing said it was what the current evidence supported.

“At the end of the day, that’s the advice we have.”