Attorney General Philip Ruddock and AFP Commissioner Mick Keelty and Queensland Premier Peter Beattie and his police commissioner have given media conference this morning in the wake of the arrest of a Queensland hospital registrar recruited from the UK at Brisbane International airport last night after advice from UK authorities investigating last week’s terror attacks in England and Scotland.
The 27-year-old man is the eighth person detained over the bombings.
British newspapers are reporting today that as many as six of the eight are doctors who may have planned the attacks while living in medical residences at a Scottish hospital.
Peter Beattie told a late morning press conference that the man in question was recruited from the UK via an advertisement in the British Medical Journal last year.
The Attorney General said that no charges have yet been laid against the man and would not outline the link to the failed car bombings in central London and at Glasgow airport.
“We’ve received certain information but these are ongoing investigations and it’s not really appropriate to discuss those matters which might prejudice investigations,” he said.
The Attorney has refused to say if the man is an Australian citizen, but has suggested this is not the case.
“I believe he is a resident and if you are a resident that doesn’t suggest that you have citizenship,” Ruddock said.
“You can deduce that a registrar is usually a doctor and the person is not an Australian citizen.”
The Attorney has also not detailed what the man’s alleged involvement in the UK plots was, nor whether other people were being investigated in relation to the search warrants.
He also declined to say where the man had been heading when he was arrested.
Channel 7 has reported earlier that the man was trying to board a flight to Singapore.
AAP has reported that according to the Brisbane airport departure schedule, the only late flight delayed by a significant time was to Malaysia.
They understand that the suspect was attempting to board a flight to Kuala Lumpur, from where he hoped to travel to India.
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