LONDON, July 15: Two suspects in the failed car bombings in Britain have been released without charge, British police said on Sunday, as Australia defended its tough new anti-terrorism laws that held a suspect there.

The pair, whose identities have not been disclosed but are thought to be trainee doctors aged 25 and 28, were arrested on July 2.

They were among eight people held after two cars packed with petrol, gas canisters and nails were found in central London on June 29 and a flaming Jeep Cherokee slammed into Glasgow Airport's main terminal building a day later.

Three people — two in Britain and one in Australia — have been charged over the failed attacks, one man remains in custody and another is under police guard in hospital. The eighth person, a woman, has been released.

Meanwhile, the debate about balancing civil liberties with the need to fight extremism continued in both Britain and Australia.

In Britain, police have up to 28 days to detain and question security suspects, subject to regular judicial review, after former prime minister Tony Blair's proposal of a 90-day maximum was rejected by parliament.

But the president of the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), Ken Jones, told The Observer newspaper on Sunday.—AFP