The brother of Australian Test cricketer Usman Khawaja has been charged over an alleged bid to frame a love rival in a fictitious terror plot.
Arsalan Khawaja, 39, appeared in court accused of forgery, an attempt to pervert justice and lying to police.
In August, police in Sydney arrested PhD student Mohamed Kamer Nizamdeen over what they believed was a terror “hit list”, written in a university notebook, targeting former Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull and his former deputy Julie Bishop, as well as landmarks including the Sydney Opera House.
Usman Khawaja, a leading batsmen, is set to play in a Test series against India starting in Adelaide on Thursday.
Speaking hours after his brother’s arrest, he said: “It is a matter for police to deal with.
Out of respect for the process it would be inappropriate for me to make any further comment.”
Mr Nizamdeen, 25, was charged with terrorism and spent more than four weeks in solitary confinement at Sydney’s Goulburn Supermax prison.
He was released in October after police failed to match his handwriting to that in the notebook.
Mr Nizamdeen has returned to Sri Lanka and has indicated he plans to seek compensation for his wrongful detention.
Assistant Commissioner Mick Willing of New South Wales police said: “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.
"But, really, the person who is responsible for what occurred to him is the person we’re alleging manufactured this document.”
Arsalan Khawaja was arrested by NSW’s joint counter terrorism team after he was pulled over while driving in western Sydney.
He was granted bail by a court in the city on condition he surrenders his passport and reports to police three times a week.
