India vs Australia: Usman Khawaja’s brother Arsalan ‘framed’ terror suspect

Even as Australia batsman Usman Khawaja gets ready for the opening Test against India from December 6 at the Adelaide Oval, all is not well in the Khawaja household. Usman’s brother Arsalan has been arrested for allegedly framing another man over a fake terror plot. The Australian police had in August charged Sri Lankan student Mohamed Kamer Nizamdeen for planning the killing of Australian politicians in his notebook.

While he was released after being detained for a month as he had claimed that he was framed by a rival at the University of New South Wales, police will charge Arsalan Khawaja, 39, with forgery and an attempt to pervert justice. Police alleged on Tuesday that Nizamdeen had been “set up in a planned and calculated manner” by Arsalan.

A police source told AFP Arsalan was arrested in suburban Sydney and is being questioned in relation to allegations he attempted to pervert justice by making a false document.

“The arrest relates to documents allegedly found on University of (New South Wales) grounds in August this year containing plans to facilitate terrorism attacks,” police said in a statement.

The police went on to add that there was a case of being partly motivated by a “personal grievance” over a woman. Nizamdeen was kept in solitary confinement after he was arrested on terrorism charges for more than four weeks. The police had accused him of planning the high-profile attack in a list which included the former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

But the police’s failure to match the two handwritings saw the Lankan being released. Nizamdeen might seek compensation from the authorities for being wrongly detained.

The New South Wales police have expressed “regret” for Nizamdeen’s experience. “We feel very sorry for him and what has happened to him,” Assistant Commissioner Mick Willing said.