A visibly relaxed Mohamed Haneef, said he was never a risk to Australia and would have informed authorities had he known his cousins Kafeel and Sabeel Ahmed were plotting attacks in the UK.
MELBOURNE: A visibly relaxed Mohamed Haneef, who has been absolved of terror charges, on Sunday, said he was never a risk to Australia and would have informed authorities had he known his cousins Kafeel and Sabeel Ahmed were plotting attacks in the UK.
In a reportedly paid interview with the 'Nine Network', the Indian doctor said he was looking forward to spending time with his wife and baby daughter, who was born days before his arrest at Brisbane airport on July two.
"It's not in my nature to ever support or involve myself in such activities at all," he said adding he didn't mean to hurt anyone by his words and so could not think of hurting anyone by his activity.
He acknowledged visiting Kafeel Ahmed in 2004 but said they had never lived together.
"Sometimes he used to come to our place and we had family trips throughout UK actually," he said.
But he had not known Kafeel held radical views and had been startled to learn of his involvement in the bombing plot.
"I couldn't really believe that someone from my family would do such a thing," Haneef said adding that he was scared to be labelled as 'terrorist' after his family member's involvement in terrorist activity.
"If I had known anything, definitely, I would have let the authorities know and let their parents, who are the main sufferers, know first," he said.
Despite his ordeal of four weeks in custody amid a bungled terrorism prosecution, Haneef said he was optimistic to return to Australia one day to pursue his medical career.
"I would, even after I go back to India, I might think about coming back here," Haneef said in his first media interview, recorded before his departure from Brisbane.
"It's just a matter of my visa to be sorted out' he said. On a question as to why he was now leaving Australia he said, "I have to live with my family now. I've had enough trauma," Haneef said.
Asked if he was a terrorist, Haneef straightforward reply was 'No'.
He said he was frightened when he was arrested by two investigating officers at the airport on July two.
He said he was asked about all sorts of questions like his personal, financial details also if he had ever been to countries like Pakistan or Saudi Arabia.
"The investigators were assuming things, they had bits and pieces of information," Haneef said when asked about the investigations he had to face.
Haneef maintained he did send money to clear his personal loans in UK and not to fund any terrorist activity.
However, he expressed his happiness and relief to be out of jail and said he felt great and was thankful to his god to restore his honour back.
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