Queensland's police minister has criticised "predictable" political voices seeking to "exploit" the brutal killing of a British backpacker with hyperbolic comments about terrorism.

Controversial senator Pauline Hanson seized on the attack on Thursday, demanding answers about what "could well be the first Islamic terrorist attack in Queensland".

Accused attacker Smail Ayad, a 29-year-old Frenchman, allegedly yelled "Allahu Akbar" as he stabbed Englishwoman Mia Ayliffe-Chung to death, left fellow Briton Thomas Jackson fighting for life, hurt an Australian man and killed his dog on Tuesday night.

The Arabic phrase, meaning "God is great", is commonly spoken by millions of Muslims worldwide but has also become associated with terrorist attacks.