Witnesses reported a 29-year-old man from France called out in Arabic “God is Great” before the attack at the hostel, Shelley’s Backpackers in Home Hill.
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Ayliffe-Chung had been in Queensland for six months before she was stabbed to death at a North Queensland backpackers in front of 30 witnesses on Tuesday night.
Ayad, a former kickboxer, is also accused of assaulting a dozen police officers since his arrest, including biting one on the leg.
Australian police said Thursday that no evidence has been found to suggest extremism had been a factor in a knife attack that left a British woman dead in a backpackers’ hostel in Queensland state.
Another of Ayad’s victims, 30-year-old British man Tom Jackson, is now fighting for his life in Townsville hospital.
The Frenchman who viciously stabbed a lovely British backpacker to death in an Australian hostel professed that he was “going to die soon” on social media moments before the vicious attack.
Superintendent Ray Rohweder said Ayad would appear in court via video link for safety reasons.
“Certainly from Mia’s point of view, there was no romantic connection”, he said. He was in critical condition with injuries to his head.
Another British backpacker was injured and is in hospital being treated for damage to both ankles.
Her family paid tribute to an “amazing young woman with an adventurous spirit”.
Asked if Mr Ayad had a romantic interest in Miss Ayliffe-Chung, he said: “That’s one of the lines of inquiry that we are conducting”.
In a statement released today, he said she had fallen in love with Australia, the Gold Coast Bulletin reported.
“There is absolutely no indication of any form of radicalisation or political motive in this matter”, he said.
The landlord of the property which Mia and her mother, Rosie, lived at on Wirksworth’s Blind Lane said he had been shocked when he arrived at the property this morning to find TV news cameras waiting in the street. We knew Mia as a student with so much joy and energy who was well-liked by her friends and teachers. “She seemed full of zest about the idea of going off to the next stage of her life”.
Briton Tom Jackson, 30, was injured trying to help Miss Ayliffe-Chung.
Mr Rohweder said: “The prayers of the Queensland Police Service and, I imagine, the Queensland community, are with him”.
In a statement, the British school Ayliffe-Chung previously attended described her as a joyous person who was well-liked by her friends and teachers.
In response to a question about whether the 29-year-old attacker had links to ISIS, Gollschewski replied in the negative and added that there is no threat to citizens.
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“Never thought I’d be heading back through that airport without Mia”. He had been in Australia on a temporary visa since March.
