Freed doctor can leave Australia

SYDNEY, Australia (CNN) -- A former suspect charged in connection with the foiled terrorist bomb attacks in Britain was free to leave Australia Saturday, a day after prosecutors dropped charges against the Indian-born doctor, according to Australia's Immigration Minister.

Australia's top prosecutor on Friday dropped a charge tying Dr. Mohammed Haneef to terror suspects implicated in the failed bomb attacks in England and Scotland after citing major errors in the case following a review of the evidence.

Haneef was first freed from jail and placed under residential detention -- meaning he could not leave the country -- but on Saturday was released from residential detention and given back his passport, enabling him to leave the country.

"The Commonwealth (Australia's government) has no objection to Dr. Haneef leaving Australia," Immigration Minister Ken Andrews told reporters at a news conference Saturday.

However, Australia's Department of Immigration will sustain the revocation of Haneef's working visa.

"Indeed the effect of the visa cancellation is that he should remove himself, depart Australia, in any event," Andrews said.

Director of Public Prosecutions Damian Bugg said he dropped charges against Haneef because there was reasonable chance of convicting the 27-year-old physician.

Haneef was arrested July 2 in Australia while attempting to leave the country for India.

Prosecutors alleged a SIM card provided by Haneef to his cousin, Sabeel Ahmed, last summer was found in a burning Jeep used during the attempted suicide attack on the Glasgow airport July 30.

However, it was later discovered that the card was not previously owned by Haneef.

Australian Federal Police Commissioner Mick Keelty characterized the ongoing investigation as a "complex and painstaking process," and said federal police will continue to work with their British counterparts to "fully explore the evidence and establish the facts."

Meanwhile three physicians -- Dr. Sabeel Ahmed, 26; Dr. Mohammed Asha, 26 ; Dr. Bilal Abdullah, 27. -- still face charges in connection with the discovery of two explosives-laden cars in London on June 29 and an attempted suicide attack on the Glasgow airport in Scotland the following day.

A fourth man, Kefeel Ahmed -- brother of Sabeel Ahmed -- is under armed guard in a Glasgow-area hospital with burns over his entire body from the airport blast. He has not been charged. E-mail to a friend

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