Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja's brother arrested over fake terror 'hit list'
SYDNEY, Dec 04: The brother of Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja was arrested Tuesday for allegedly framing a love rival as the author of a terrorist hit list.
Arsakan Khawaja, 39, is accused of trying to set up his former university colleague Mohamed Kamer Nizamdeen, by convincing police that the 26- year-old was part of a plot to kill then prime minister Malcom Turnbull.
Nizamdeen was arrested in August after a purported terror hit list was found in his notebook. He was released only weeks later, when police figured out the script did not match his handwriting.
"What we will be alleging is that he (Nizamdeen) was set up in a planned and calculated manner. Motivated, in part, by a personal grievance," New South Wales assistant commissioner Mick Willing told reporters.
Willing added that the grievance was over a woman, and that line of enquiry was "part of the process" being investigated.
He said there is no ongoing threat to the community.
Australian police now say they "regret" arresting Sri Lankan-born Nizamdeen. "In relation to the charging and the subsequent dropping of the charge against the Sri Lankan citizen, we have offered, and have paid his court costs," Willing said.
"We regret the circumstances which led to him being charged and the time he subsequently spent in custody."
He is reportedly seeking further damages from authorities.
Arsakan Khawaja was arrested in suburban Sydney on Tuesday and is being questioned over allegations he attempted to pervert justice by making a false document, which listed high-profile targets.
Pakistan-born Australian batsman Usman Khawaja is due to make a return from injury this Thursday against India in the first of a four match series.
Courtesy: timesofindia
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2 detained after comment over wedding procession to Dalit house sparks clash in UP's Shahjahanpur
Shahjahanpur (UP) (PTI): Two persons have been detained after a clash broke out allegedly over remarks targeting a Dalit family's wedding procession in Uttar Pradesh's Shahjahanpur district, police said on Saturday.
The incident occurred in Lai Kheda village under Tilhar police station area, where a wedding procession from Bareilly had arrived at a Dalit household on April 20.
According to SP Saurabh Dixit, when the procession was near the house of Rajpal Yadav, he allegedly made a remark saying "Now, Dalits will also take out wedding processions riding a buggy", leading to an argument. Yadav's side allegedly turned aggressive, escalating the conflict further.
Police said a scuffle ensued between the two sides. Upon receiving information, police personnel reached the spot and ensured that the procession was conducted peacefully after the incident.
An FIR was registered on Friday against Rajpal Yadav, Sumit, Amit, Surendra, Avdhesh Yadav and five unidentified persons based on a complaint. Rajpal Yadav and his son Sumit have been taken into custody and are being questioned, Dixit said.
The case has been registered under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023 and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, police said.
Dixit said preliminary findings suggest that Yadav, too, was hosting a function and processions from both sides had arrived around the same time. A dispute may have initially arisen due to a narrow passage and attempts to move the processions quickly.
Police have registered the case under relevant sections of the BNS and initiated further probe, officials said.
