Haneef moved by community support: Russo

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Haneef moved by community support: Russo

Terror suspect Mohamed Haneef has broken down in jail after hearing of community support for his plight, his lawyer has told a protest rally in Brisbane.

Peter Russo on Thursday told protesters outside the Department of Immigration's Brisbane offices the 27-year-old Gold Coast doctor had been surprised and deeply touched when told fellow lawyers as well as ordinary people were rallying behind him.

"Some of what's occurring today may come as a little bit of a shock to him," Mr Russo said.

"... He was moved to tears when I told him about it (the support) because I think for him he hasn't understood the impact that it's had on the rest of the community and I don't think he regards himself as being such an important person."

He said he expected Haneef would be amazed at his high-profile coverage after having access to newspapers and television news reports for the first time on Wednesday night since his arrest at Brisbane Airport on July 2.

"I'm pretty sure he will be stunned and he's going to have a million questions for me," Mr Russo said.

Mr Russo will visit Haneef on Thursday afternoon at the Wolston Correctional Centre, at Richlands in Brisbane's south-west.

He was moved there on Wednesday after failing to post a $10,000 surety, which would allow him to be transferred to the Villawood Immigration Detention Centre in Sydney.

He is charged with supporting a terrorist organisation after giving a mobile phone SIM card to a relative later accused of being involved in plotting car bomb attacks in the UK.

Protesters, including a handful of Indian nationals and Muslims, today ridiculed the charge, holding their mobile phones up in a show of unity and calling for the government to take their "offensive weapons" from them.

Signs read: "Reckless with a SIM? Arrest Shane Warne?", "Howard: 600,000 Iraqis killed, Haneef: One SIM card lent", and "I've lend my SIM card, arrest me too."

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