Members of the Australian police mission walk to a bus after arriving at Kharkiv airport, before proceeding to the crash site of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 July 26, 2014. Nearly 300 people, 193 of them Dutch citizens, were killed when the Malaysia Airl
Members of the Australian police mission walk to a bus after arriving at Kharkiv airport, before proceeding to the crash site of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 July 26, 2014. Nearly 300 people, 193 of them Dutch citizens, were killed when the Malaysia Airlines plane en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was brought down in eastern Ukraine, where separatists are battling government forces, on July 17. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko (UKRAINE - Tags: POLITICS DISASTER TRANSPORT) REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko

A mistake made by two major Australian dailies has brought a young man to grief and he fears for his future. Two newspapers wrongly carried picture of an innocent young man labelling him as a "teenage terrorist" on the front cover of their publications.

Leading dailies, "Sydney Morning Herald" and "The Age" carried the picture of Abu Bakar Alam, aged 19, as the young boy who was shot dead by Australian police after he attacked two officers last Tuesday. Actually the teenager killed in the encounter was Numan Haider, aged 18, reported Strait Times.

Fairfax Media's Apology

Fairfax Media, the media conglomerate owning the two national dailies, apologised for the mistake in their website and admitted that the photograph was wrongly carried and that boy had no connection with any extremist or terrorist group. It regretted the fallout from the publication of the photograph and clarified that the picture has been pulled out of circulation. According to Andrew Holden, Editor-in-chief of the newspaper, the error was a result of crossed wires.

Family Worried

Abu Bakar, whose photo was wrongly carried, reacted sharply and said he was bitter and "gutted." He added that he was too scared to leave his home. The boy sought strong action and said his family also wants action against the wrong doers. Bakar said with anguish that this is "not a small thing and it is going to affect my future."

An offended Sher Alam, Bakar's father, had called up the newspapers seeking their explanation for the mistake. The hurt father told media that his son has been introduced as a terrorist in this country. "We are not terrorists," he continued and said Bakar had been crying and wanted to know how can he face the people now.

The family of Abu Bakar migrated to Australia from Afghanistan. The father said their hope for a better future is getting dashed because of this incident. Alam threatened to sue the wrong doers and said he would consult the lawyers to ascertain the scope on this matter and the rights of both parties on this matter. Alam said he will not mind going to court to seek justice.