Recent police investigations in last week’s British car bombings have led to the arrest of an eighth suspect, an Indian doctor that now becomes the fifth detainee to have a medical background.

Australian authorities followed a tip from British detectives involved in the attempted car bombings in London and Glasgow last week and arrested an Indian doctor as he was trying to leave Australia on a one-way ticket, officials said Tuesday.

The 27-year-old man, Mohamed Haneef, worked in Liverpool until a year ago, when he moved to Queensland, Australia and worked as a registrar in the Gold Coast Hospital.

“There is a second person who is currently assisting the police with their inquiries and the identity of that second person arose from the discussion that occurred with the first person taken into custody,” Prime Minister John Howard told reporters.

Of the eight persons arrested over the last few days, five are believed to be either doctors or medical students. None is believed to be of British nationality. Haneef graduated from medical school in 2002.

Federal Police Commissioner Mick Keelty said Mohamed Haneef was arrested on Monday night at Brisbane airport, where he was waiting for his flight to India. He was not on any Australian watch list.

Queensland Police Commissioner Bob Atkinson said “certain material” had been seized from Haneef, and added “no explosive material has been located by police.” The “material” is believed to be emails.

He became a suspect because of his connection with one of the suspects detained in Britain, with whom he had a phone conversation.

Mohammed al-Asha, 26, was arrested Saturday on a Cheshire motorway. He was with his wife, who has also been arrested, and their 2-year-old son. Al-Asha is a Jordanian neurologist who worked at a hospital in Stoke-on-Trent in central Britain.

Bilal Abdullah, 27, of Iraqi origin, is also a doctor; he worked at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley, Scotland. He survived the intentional crashing of a fuel-laden Jeep into Glasgow airport Saturday. The other man in the Jeep suffered severe burns.

Two other detained men, aged 28 and 25, arrested Monday on the campus of the Royal Alexandra Hospital, could have a medical background.