Costs demand for wrong arrest

A SRI LANKAN man working at a Sydney university has had a terror-related charge withdrawn by prosecutors and will now seek legal costs and compensation for his “unforgivable” treatment.

Mohamed Kamer Nilar Nizamdeen, 25, was charged with creating a document in connection with preparing for a terrorist act but was released on bail on September 28 after four weeks behind bars.

The business systems analyst, who was a contractor at the University of NSW, was not present in Sydney’s Central Local Court yesterday when prosecutors withdrew the charge and his legal costs application was listed for November 23.

Outside court, his lawyer Moustafa Kheir said “what authorities have done to this young man is absolutely unforgivable”.

“We will be seeking justice for him in the NSW Supreme Court,” he said.

“It’s a terrible experience. As a young man who has done everything right in life, he has gone through supermax jail in unforgivable circumstances.”

Mr Nizamdeen (right) was arrested by counter-terrorism officers at the university in August after a tip-off from a col- league. Police said the university worker had found a notebook that allegedly named “potential targets”.

“They are symbolic locations within Sydney,” NSW Police’s Detective Acting Superintendent Mick Sheehy said at the time.

AFP Detective Superintendent Michael McTiernan told reporters the charges were “serious and significant and should not be underestimated”.

Mr Nizamdeen was in Australia on a student visa that expired in September.

His supporters and family rallied in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo in September, carrying posters saying the university staff member had been framed.