Usman Khawaja asks for privacy after brother’s arrest: The Australian batsman’s elder brother has been arrested over fake terror plot.
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Australia batsman Usman Khawaja’s elder brother Arsalan Khawaja, who was being investigated for counter terrorism a month ago, has been arrested on the charges of a fake terror plot to kill renown Australian politicians.
The news of the arrest and being denied of bail subsequently broke in the morning during Australian team’s net session ahead of the first Test to be played at Adelaide from December 6. Reacting to the same, the 31-year old cricketer asked for privacy for him and his family.
Speaking from an already prepared statement, Khawaja was quoted, “This is a matter for the police to deal with. Out of respect for the process it’d be inappropriate for me to be making any further comment. I just ask for you to please respect my privacy and my family’s privacy during this time.”
“We only found out at training. So, I think it’d be pretty inappropriate for me to comment at the moment,” Australia vice-captain Mitchell Marsh was quoted as saying to the media.
“We believe this was planned and it was calculated. We regret the circumstances which led to [Nizamdeen] being charged and the time he subsequently spent in custody. We feel very sorry for him and what has happened to him…[but] we had to act early at the time, given the threats contained in that notebook,” Assistant commissioner Mick Willing, of the NSW Counter Terrorism and Special Tactics Command said.
The charges on Arsalan revolve around the mistaken arrest of in August of a colleague, Mohamed Kamer Nilar Nizamdeen, a PhD student working at the University of NSW. Apparently, a notebook was obtained from Nizamdeen, which contained detailed plans to make attack on some eminent Australian personalities.
While Nizamdeen was released, it is believed that there are some ‘personal grievances’ between him and Arsalan.
Read some of the latest Twitter reactions on Khawaja below:
