Aussie Cricketer’s brother Arsalan Khawaja re-arrested over framing Lankan student

A magistrate has revoked the bail of Arsalan Khawaja after he was arrested for breaching his conditions by attempting to influence a witness.

The 39-year-old brother of Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja was re-arrested yesterday afternoon by officers from ASIO and the AFP and charged with attempting to influence a witness in judicial proceedings.

Mr Khawaja was originally arrested earlier this month for allegedly attempting to frame a colleague at the University of New South Wales with a fake terror plot.

He did not appear at Parramatta Court and is due to appear via video link in February.

NSW Police detained Mr Khawaja’s colleague over the alleged terror hit list, which was found in an office in the same building as the university’s library earlier this year.

The book allegedly contained plans to kill the former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, his then-deputy Julie Bishop and former speaker Bronwyn Bishop, as well as a blueprint to target train stations and Sydney landmarks such as the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge.

Mr Khawaja was charged with perverting the course of justice and forgery.

When he appeared in court on December 4, he did not say anything but listened attentively from the dock, dressed in a white open-necked shirt.

He was granted bail on condition that he surrendered his passport, did not go within 100 metres of the University of New South Wales and did not contact colleagues in the university IT department.

He was also required to post a surety of $50,000 in cash.

The ABC understands the allegation against Arsalan Khawaja was not that he intended to carry out a terror attack, but that he framed his colleague, 25-year-old Sri Lankan Mohamed Nizamdeen.

It is understood he was motivated by jealousy over Mr Nizamdeen’s friendship with a woman and his success at the university.

Mr Nizamdeen spent a night in solitary confinement at Goulburn supermax jail and then transferred to another facility before he was released when terrorism charges were dropped against him in October.

He strenuously denied any involvement and is now planning to sue police, previously describing the investigation as “immature, embarrassing and biased”.

Source: ABC