Australia will not apologise to cleared terror suspect

Sydney, Feb.18 : The Australian Government has said that it won't apologise to a Sydney man cleared of taking part in terrorist training.either will the government offer compensation to Sydney medical student Izhar Ul-Haque.

"The government has no plans to make an apology or offer compensation," Attorney-General Robert McClelland said in a message read to a Senate estimates committee today.

"Given the inquiries currently being conducted by the inspector-general of intelligence and security and agencies it would not be appropriate to comment further on this matter," the Sydney Morning Herald quoted McClelland as saying further.

Terrorism-related charges against Ul-Haque were dropped in November because of what Supreme Court judge Michael Adams said was "unlawful conduct" by officers from the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO).

Ul-Haque was charged with training with the Pakistan-based terrorist group, Lashkar-e-Toiba in early 2003, before it became a banned organisation.

Justice Adams accused ASIO officers of kidnapping, false imprisonment and violating Mr ul-Haque's civil rights.

He found the officers' oppressive conduct had a flow-on effect in influencing admissions to the Australian Federal Police.

The collapse of the case was another embarrassment for anti-terrorism authorities, following the dropping of terror-support charges against Indian-born doctor Mohamed Haneef.

The conduct of the ASIO officers is now being investigated by the intelligence services watchdog.

ANI