According to news report Ayliffe-Chung had been doing farm work near Home Hill to extend her visa.
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The 29-year-old Frenchman was in Australia on a valid tourist visa and had no known links to radical groups such as Daesh, police said.
The man has been charged with murder, two counts of attempted murder and one count of serious animal cruelty.
Superintendent Ray Rohweder of Queensland Police had previously said the possibility that Ayad had an unrequited romantic interest or an “obsession” with Miss Ayliffe-Chung was a line of inquiry. Another British backpacker, Tom Jackson, remains in a critical condition after being stabbed up to 20 times in the face and body trying to protect her.
Ayad is understood to have been staying in the same room as Ayliffe-Chung at the Home Hill backpacker hostel in Queensland before the alleged attack.
Police allege French national Ayad attacked officers while under guard as he was being moved from hospital to the Townsville watch house.
Police said that he was not in court on Friday, despite plans for him to appear by video link, because he had caused a disturbance.
Mia Ayliffe-Chung. Source: 7NewsPolice at the Home Hill scene. “There is certainly, at this stage, no indication that – certainly from Mia’s point of view – that there was any sort of romantic connection”, Rohweder told reporters.
Mr Norris said if Ayad was a Muslim he “wasn’t practicing” despite shouting “allahu Akbar” during the attack and his subsequent arrest.
Les Jackson flew into Townsville late Thursday night and was expected to head straight for the hospital to visit his critically injured son, Thomas, who had been in intensive care since an alleged stabbing attack on Tuesday night sent shockwaves across the world.
He said: “Witnesses have said that they have observed the person attacking one of the persons and as a result of that there was another altercation and subsequently the male person has gone back upstairs at the accommodation complex”.
Queensland deputy police commissioner Steve Gollschewski said all possible motives for the attack were being considered, including criminal and political, as well as the impact of drugs and mental health problems.
Ayliffe-Chung was called an “amazing young woman” by her family.
“Not only was she kind and amusing, she was clever, sassy with a sense of fun”, she said in a statement.
Miss Ayliffe-Chung’s suffered multiple stab wounds.
The 21-year-old studied psychology and childcare before travelling to Surfers Paradise, in the state of Queensland, and worked as a nightclub waitress.
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She tweeted a picture of herself laying flowers and said: “Visited Ayr and #HomeHill with consular staff to meet local police and United Kingdom nationals”.
