Arsalan Khawaja, the brother of Australia test cricketer Usman Khawaja, was arrested by the counter-terrorism police on Tuesday morning after being pulled over while driving in western Sydney. He was being questioned about forgery and an attempt to pervert justice.
According to the Australian media reports, Tuesday's police operation stemmed from the discovery of a laptop at the University of New South Wales which contained an alleged hit-list naming former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and his deputy Julie Bishop. The device also reportedly contained blueprints for attacks on train stations and landmarks such as the Sydney Opera House.
"The arrest relates to documents allegedly found on University of (New South Wales) grounds in August this year containing plans to facilitate terrorist attacks," police said in a statement
The Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported that the police were not alleging Arsalan Khawaja intended to carry out terrorist attacks but that he tampered with the laptop to frame a colleague, 25-year-old PhD student Mohamed Nizamdeen.
Nizamdeen spent four weeks in solitary confinement at Sydney's Goulburn Supermax prison before all terrorism charges against him were dropped in October.
The ABC said Arsalan Khawaja aimed to frame Nizamdeen in a dispute over a woman. Nizamdeen, speaking from his native Sri Lanka, later described the police operation which led to his arrest as "immature, embarrassing and biased."
“I am completely exonerated and I hope the media and the Sri Lankan public can help me pick up the pieces of my shattered life,” he said.
The Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported Nizamdeen was now planning to sue the police.
Shocking news for the Khawajas
The arrest comes as Usman Khawaja prepares with the Australia squad in Adelaide ahead of Thursday's first test against India, the start of a crucial four-match series in which the home side could challenge India's position as the world's top-ranked test team.