Samoa wants pigs-head thrower handed over

Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi was speaking to a church gathering when a pig's head was thrown at him. (AAP)

A man accused throwing a pig's head in a Queensland church to insult the visiting Samoan prime minister is set to face an extradition hearing over conspiracy to murder.

Talalelei Pauga, 43, was charged with committing public nuisance over the alleged November 2018 incident at Logan's St Maximilian Kolbe Catholic Parish, south of Brisbane.

Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi was speaking about the launch of new Samoa Airways routes when Mr Pauga allegedly started yelling abuse and hurled meat and raw eggs on the floor.

A pig's head and rocks with threatening messages written on them were also thrown during the disturbance, TV1 Samoa reported at the time.

Queensland prosecutors later dropped the public nuisance charge.

But Mr Pauga was rearrested on August 20 this year after Samoa made an extradition request to the Commonwealth Attorney-General's Department.

"Mr Pauga is wanted to face prosecution in Samoa for the offence of conspiracy to murder," a spokesman said in a statement sent to AAP.

He was placed on remand in Arthur Gorrie Correctional Centre, where riots recently broke out over a COVID-19 prisoner lockdown.

Mr Pauga is not charged with an offence in Australia, his lawyer Greg Finlayson said on Monday.

The extradition application is scheduled to be heard in the Brisbane Magistrates Court later in the day.

The court has spent the morning hearing submissions to close it to the public and media but magistrate Belinda Merrin rejected the application.

Outside of court a business associate of Mr Pauga, who preferred not to be named, said the church incident was a protest against alleged Samoan cultural land rights abuses.

He said Mr Pauga, a father of four, is a well-known Samoan activist and a member of Samoa Solidarity International.

"Throwing a pig's head in Samoa is a cultural insult to show disgust," he said.

Mr Pauga was also angry over alleged corruption, misuse of international aid funds and the erosion of freedom of speech in the tiny Pacific nation.

The man said Mr Pauga had lived in Brisbane for most of his life and holds Australian citizenship.

"It's been tough for him since he was arrested, we weren't able to contact him for weeks," he said.