| Score one for the good guyz. |
The jury, which deliberated for five hours, found only an opinion piece by columnist Piers Akerman, published in The Daily Telegraph on February 15 last year, contained the imputation that Mr Habib had knowingly made some false claims. Justice David Kirby will now hear defences in the case to determine whether Mr Habib is entitled to compensation. Outside court, Mr Habib's barrister Clive Evatt said he was disappointed the jury did not find more imputations proven. But he believed the verdict showed the jury - comprising three women and one man - had overcome prejudices in the community. "There is a climate of anti-Muslim, anti-foreigner, anti-Egyptian and is a terrible indictment of the community," he said. "But the jury has overcome any prejudice. (The verdict) shows the jury system is working fine."
Mr Habib, who was expressionless when the verdict was delivered, said he was "very happy" with the result. "I'm here to prove I'm not a terrorist, that's it, and that's the main thing to me," he said. Mr Habib was captured in Pakistan in late 2001 and detained by US authorities for more than three years - without charge - after he was suspected of training with the al-Qaeda terrorist network. He has claimed that he was taken to Egypt and tortured between November 2001 and February 2002 before being moved to the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. Mr Habib returned to Australia in January last year and lives with his family in Sydney.