A 58-year-old US man arrested in connection with the 2022 Wieambilla shootings was in contact with the shooters via YouTube.

Gareth Train communicated with the man via comments on YouTube videos from May 2021 until the shooting in December 2022.

In a press conference,QLD Police Assistant Commissioner Cheryl Scanlon described messages sent by the man to Gareth and Stacey Train as containing “Christian end of days ideology”.

Police previously labelled the shootings by Gareth,Nathaniel and Stacey Train as a religiously motivated terrorist attack.

Before they were killed by Queensland tactical police,Gareth and Stacey filmed themselves in the dark on the rural property and uploaded a video that referenced a man named “Don”. At the time the video was released,the full identity of “Don” was not clear.

Scanlon confirmed the US arrest was in relation to the YouTube video.

“Those matters are only before the court this morning in the US,but that’s the interaction that has emanated to cause this investigation,” she said.

“Evidence has been seized and is being analysed by the FBI,” Scanlon continued.

Queensland police earlier issued a statement saying the Counter Terrorism Command had travelled to the US,and a 58-year-old man was arrested near Heber Overgaard,Arizona.

Scanlon said the 58-year-old had been remanded in custody.

Under US federal law,it is a felony to communicate a threat to injure or kidnap another person online.

The arrest was made in relation to the shooting of officers Rachel McCrow and Matthew Arnold,and Good Samaritan Alan Dare,who were gunned down by Nathaniel,Gareth and Stacey Train at a rural property in Wieambilla,west of Brisbane,in December 2022.

The influential Bank for International Settlements has warned that rapid global growth in buy now,pay later (BNPL) services could create risks in the financial system due to a potential build-up of loans that are more likely to go bad than credit cards or personal loans.

As regulation looms for Australia’s BNPL sector,a new report from the Switzerland-based Bank for International Settlements (BIS) said BNPL had surged globally,and Australia and Sweden had the highest usage rates relative to their population.

The study credited Australia with leading the way in BNPL regulation,after the government earlier this year unveiled its plan to subject the sector toresponsible lending obligations.

But the BIS raised concerns about global risks,saying data on BNPL around the world suggested users were generally younger and tech-savvy,but often less financially literate than older generations.

This raised the risk that some BNPL users engaging in “imprudent” spending on the platforms,and some customers taking on too much BNPL debt.

BNPL services such as Afterpay and Zip allow customers to borrow money via digital instalment loans,but because no interest is charged,the sector has escaped the regulation that applies to credit cards.

Here’s more on the risks facing consumers.

Climate activists have gathered outside Labor MP Peter Khalil’s office in Melbourne’s north,the second demonstration from Extinction Rebellion today designed to put pressure on leaders to take action to protect the environment.

The groupbriefly blocked traffic on Sydney Road in Coburg,during what they say will be the first of four days of disruptions culminating in a large-scale demonstration on Saturday.

Activist Violet Coco said the group has targeted Khalil’s office because Labor had approved or expanded eight gas projects since their term in office began.

Coco,who was briefly jailed for blocking the Sydney Harbour Bridge in 2022, said new gas projects were the “opposite of what the science tells us needs to be done”.

Extinction Rebellion began the week of activism,which coincides with the COP28 summit,by stopping traffic during peak hour in the Melbourne CBD on Wednesday morning.

The group plans to disrupt traffic during peak hour again later this afternoon.

Thank you for your company today.

I’m handing over toJosefine Ganko,who will be anchoring the blog for the rest of the afternoon.

Here’s what you need to know if you’re just joining us:

• Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has promisedmore money to public hospitals following the national cabinet meeting with state and territory leaders.
• Independent MPs are furious over thedecision to vote on preventative detention laws tonight to respond to the High Court decision to release people from indefinite detention.
• Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show the economy grew by 0.2 per cent in the three months to the end of September.
• Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus slammed a suggestion the Albanese government shouldapologise for the release of people previously in immigration detention.
• In state news,the Victorian ombudsman slammed the“culture of fear” under former premier Daniel Andrews and revealed how former staffers were put in senior public service roles.
• Former political staffers are among a list of five witnesses expected to be called by Ten on Wednesday in theFederal Court defamation trial brought by Bruce Lehrmann.

• The Matildas are once again taking on Olympic champions Canada in afriendly match in Vancouver,just a week after game one where the Canucks won 5-0.