Beattie denies attacking AFP over Haneef's case

MELBOURNE: Queensland state Premier Peter Beattie has denied he attacked the Australian Federal Police (AFP) over its handling of the investigation into terror suspect Indian doctor Mohamed Haneef for political purposes.

Haneef is in Brisbane's Wolston Correctional Centre, charged with providing support to a terrorist organisation.

Beattie has called the AFP "the Keystone Cops" and said the investigation was farcical after a Sunday newspaper report that Haneef had been linked with a threat to the Q1 building on the Gold Coast.

Yesterday, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer accused Beattie of using the AFP to attack the Federal Government.

"He's trying to undermine public support in the federal police for party political reasons to try by one remove to attack the Howard government," Downer told a local TV channel.

But Beattie today denied he was trying to undermine public confidence in the AFP, saying it was up to the courts to decide Haneef's fate.

"All I've said to the Federal Government is 'come clean and explain what all these inconsistencies are about'," Beattie said, adding "The Australian people have a right to know."