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CANBERRA - One of the key suspects in the foiled UK bombing attempts had used more than one name to apply for work as a doctor in Western Australia but did not pass the professional standards, the Australian Medical Association (AMA) says.
It emerged yesterday that two doctors -- Sabeel and Kafeel Ahmed -- arrested over Britain's latest terror plot, applied to work as doctors in WA but were rejected because of concerns over their qualifications and references.
A doctor working on Queensland's Gold Coast, who was questioned by police over the plot but released without charge, had also been rejected by WA.
AMA WA president Geoff Dobbs says one of the men applied several times.
"We are told that one of the applicants did apply on more than one occasion using slightly different names," Dr Dobbs told ABC Radio today.
But he said the AMA recruitment agency has very stringent checks to ensure doctors meet the professional standards required and none of the doctors passed that test.
"They didn't meet the standards which we required," he said.
"Hypothetically, if they had been better qualified, could they have slipped through the professional checks that we have?
"The answer to that is yes, but they didn't meet those standards."
Dr Dobbs said the AMA had about 2000 overseas applications every year for work in WA but only 150 to 200 were accepted.
Meanwhile, Australian Federal Police (AFP) and a British counter-terrorism chief are continuing to question Gold Coast registrar Dr Mohammed Haneef over the failed terrorism bid.
A Brisbane magistrates court has granted a 96-hour extension, that came into effect at 11.30pm Thursday (1.30am Friday NZT), to an existing court order allowing police to continue questioning the Indian-born doctor.
- AAP
