Dr. Mohammed Haneef, who was released after being absolved of terror charges in connection with the failed car bombings in the UK, today thanked the Australian people for their support during his near four-week-old ordeal.Speaking for the first time after his release on Friday, Haneef, who flew out of Australia last night to Bangalore, told the waiting media during a stop-over in Bangkok that it was good to be free, according to the ABC news channel.The 27-year-old Indian doctor said that he was grateful to the Australian people for their support. "Definitely yes - thanks everyone." "I've had to defend this matter with one arm tied behind my back because of protected information," he told Channel Seven.Haneef has recorded an exclusive interview for Channel Nine's news show 60 Minutes late afternoon yesterday.According to a report on the website of The Sunday Telegraph, insiders close to the bidding process believe Dr. Haneef may have received in the vicinity of $100,000. The promo of the 60 Minutes show said: "For more than three weeks, the Haneef affair dragged on. And let's face it, on the strength of the so-called evidence, the Gold Coast doctor certainly looked suspicious."For a start there was his SIM card, his relationship to the UK bombers, some odd financial transactions and the fact that he was arrested trying to leave Australia."Then the case against Mohamed Haneef began to unravel and the charge against him was dropped. Last night, he finally went home to India. But first, he told us his side of the story."
