Cricketer Usman Khawaja's brother jailed for framing colleague in fake terror plot

Cricketer Usman Khawaja's brother has been sentenced to prison for four-and-a-half years after he was found guilty of framing a colleague in a fake terror plot, international media reported.

Arsalan Tariq Khawaja, the brother, admitted that he was jealous over his colleague Mohamed Nizamdeen's friendship with a woman at the University of New South Wales.

Disturbed at their friendship, Khawaja admitted that he set his colleague up in August 2018 by forging entries in his notebook. 

Khawaja admitted to forging entries on more than 20 pages in the notebook of his UNSW co-worker after which he handed it to the university staff.

The notebook contained death threats against then Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and the governor-general, as well as lists to attack police stations, the Boxing Day cricket test match in Melbourne, and landmarks.

Nizamdeen was arrested, incarcerated for four weeks, and falsely labelled as a terrorist in the media before the police found out that he had been set up.

Judge Robert Weber of the New South Wales District Court sentenced Khawaja to imprisonment for four-and-a-half years.

Judge Weber said Khawaja's "unforgivable" actions had "real and dire" consequences for Nizamdeen.

According to the publication, "Khawaja has also admitted calling authorities in 2017 about a love rival — another man of whom he was jealous of, and made visa and terrorism accusations, including that the man had trained overseas."

His brother Usman Khawaja has earlier said that he looks up to his brother. Usman has played 44 Test matches for Australia.

"Up until this period of his life, he had been an ideal citizen . . . a model citizen, up until recently," Khawaja said about his brother.