Australia apologises to Haneef, admits mistake

Melborne:Australia today apologised to Indian doctor Mohammad Haneef for wrongly detaining him on terror charges three years back, saying it was a mistake and hoped that the compensation paid to him will mark the end of an “unfortunate chapter”.

“The AFP (Australian Federal Police) acknowledges that it was mistaken and that Dr Haneef was innocent of the offence of which he was suspected,” the Australian government said in a public apology.

The Indian doctor, who was working at the Gold Coast Hospital since September 2006, was arrested on July 2, 2007 from the Brisbane airport.