AUSTRALIAN Federal Police head Mick Keelty has not ruled out more charges being laid against terror suspect Mahomed Haneef.
Speaking at a news conference after the terror charge against Dr Haneef was dropped, Mr Keelty defended his agency's handling of the case, and did not rule out further charges against Haneef.
Asked by a journalist whether the case had been a fiasco, Mr Keelty said: ''They are your words, not mine.
''The police investigation has been thorough, I make no apology for that, nor should I in a terrorism investigation in this country.
''We have done our job well in this instance, we have done our job professionally.''
Mr Keelty listed challenges in the investigation, such as the enormity of information that had to be considered and the time difference between the United Kingdom and Australia.
"The organisation and the investigation team in particular has worked to a deadline to achieve those ends, and at the same time meeting some of the obligations that we have at an international level to provide some answers back to the UK,'' he said.
"So the team has at all time acted professionally.''
Asked if he would rule out further charges, Mr Keelty said: ``The investigation is continuing.
"We don't intend to scale down the investigation,'' he said.
"Our obligation is to protect the Australian community against any threat of a terrorist event and that is our job. Our job at the moment is to investigate with the UK authorities an attempted terrorist attack within the UK.
"Whatever avenues of inquiry that opens up in Australia, we will investigate.''
Mr Keelty would not say whether he wanted Haneef to remain in the country while the AFP investigation continued.
"It's a matter for the immigration minister and it's a matter for the attorney-general as to what steps are taken as to whether Dr Haneef remains in the country or whether he leaves,'' he said.
"It is also the question of what Dr Haneef wants to do.''
But he said Haneef's arrest and charge could have been avoided had the doctor not tried to return to India.
"The steps that we've taken right from day one in terms of detention were initiated as a result of Dr Haneef attempting to leave the country,'' Mr Keelty said.
"Had that not occurred, other steps might have followed that would have been quite different.''
Mr Keelty refused to say whether Mr Andrews had more information from the DPP about Dr Haneef.
"It's a different standard of test, what the immigration minister applies and what the DPP would apply in terms of a prosecution beyond reasonable doubt before a court,'' he said.
AAP
Australian prosecutors have dropped charges against Dr Mohamed Haneef, the Indian doctor held in Australia in connection with last month's attack on Glasgow airport. 

The Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions, Mr Bugg, said on Friday that a review he carried out found that there was insufficient evidence to support the charges of providing material support to terrorism laid against Dr. Haneef and that "embarrassing" mistakes were made. 

Dr Haneef was released from gaol and into "residential detention" until Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews reviews his earlier decision to cancel Haneef's visa.

Mr Bugg said that a prosecutor had told a Brisbane court incorrect information. He said that one of his prosecutors told the court that the SIM card at the centre of the affair was found in a Jeep which was laden with explosives and driven into Glasgow International Airport on June 30. 

"The first related to the SIM card and was based on a misunderstanding of the facts," Bugg said.

"The second related to the residence of Dr. Haneef in the U.K. and was based on incorrect material provided by the AFP."

Australian Federal Police chief Mick Kelty denied that the AFP had made any mistakes and said investigations would continue. He refused to rule out laying further charges against Dr Haneef.

Australian Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews who previously suspended Dr Haneef's work visa after he was granted bail has said he will review his decision to cancel the visa on character grounds. Mr Andrews said that Haneef had to reside in a place of his choosing and was free to move about the community but had to report to Immigration officials daily by telephone and in person every few days.

Speaking last night, Prime Minister John Howard attempted to distance his government from the affair claiming that his government had no control over how the police operate. 

Australian civil rights groups and political parties have strongly criticised the handling of the investigations.

Haneef accompanied by his lawyer Peter Russo and his cousin Imran Siddiqui when he flew out of Brisbane Airport on Thai Airways flight TG 992 to Bangalore, India.