UAE, via state media, links Melbourne mosque to foiled flydubai hijacking attempt; Australian imam denies ties, warns of due process failure

The UAE's attorney general last week publicly alleged, via state media, that the MyCentre multicultural youth centre mosque in Broadmeadows, north Melbourne, was linked to a suspect accused of attacking a co-pilot with an axe during a flydubai flight. According to ABC News Australia, the suspect has been widely reported as 29-year-old Omani citizen Hamam Al-Hammami, who stands accused of attacking the co-pilot with an axe over Saudi Arabia and attempting to crash the aircraft, carrying more than 170 passengers, into Israel's Ben Gurion airport in what the UAE described as a "suicide attack."

In a statement through state media, UAE Attorney General Hamad Saif Al Shamsi said Al-Hammami began "moving toward extremism and terrorism" while studying at Melbourne's RMIT University, and started "reading extremist materials and following online content that glorified terrorist organizations and suicide attacks." The statement said he came into contact with individuals linked to the MyCentre mosque in 2017, and claimed the centre was "run by a Lebanese man referred to as Abu Hamza."

ABC News Australia made clear that the link was advanced by UAE authorities and does "not suggest that Mohtadi or MyCentre radicalised the suspect," nor any other connection to the flydubai incident.

MyCentre mosque imam Samir Mohtadi (the "Abu Hamza" named in the UAE statement) issued a statement strongly denying any link to the suspect. "I have never met the Al-Hammami named in recent media reports, and our centre has no record of his attendance," Mohtadi said. "The relevant authorities should have verified these claims with me before issuing or publicising them."

In the statement, Mohtadi said: "I have always advocated peace throughout my life," stressing that the centre's work has "consistently been dedicated to promoting peace, harmony, mutual respect and community wellbeing, and we explicitly reject violence in all its forms." He added: "I strongly oppose any attempt to link me personally or the multicultural youth centre to Al-Hammami. Such accusations are baseless, misleading, and unfairly damage the reputation of an organisation that has served the broader Australian community for decades."

In a social media video posted on Sunday, Mohtadi invoked the story of Jesus and Mary (referred to in Islam as Maryam), ending with: "Sometimes the best thing to do is to say nothing." He said: "They will keep accusing you... making false accusations." He concluded: "Those who are just will always come under attack."

Canberra quickly politicised the matter. Shadow home affairs minister Jonno Duniam called on the federal government to "urgently review" taxpayer funding to the organisation, including "what security checks were carried out." He said: "Australian taxpayers' money absolutely should not be used to support organisations that incite hatred, extremism or radicalisation."

The MyCentre charity received an Australian federal government "Community Languages Schools" grant of A$36,960 in March 2024. RMIT University confirmed that Al-Hammami enrolled in an engineering course there but did not complete his degree.

A joint counter-terrorism team made up of the Australian Federal Police (AFP), Victoria Police and domestic intelligence agency ASIO has confirmed it is investigating "any links" between the suspect and Australia, and said it would provide updates "in due course." The agency did not respond to specific inquiries about allegations linking MyCentre or Mohtadi. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the team had "been investigating the alleged attacker's connection to Australia since these links emerged," stressing that "we will not pre-empt the findings."

According to state media reports, UAE authorities said that during interrogation Al-Hammami stated he was inspired by the September 11, 2001 attacks, "and said he had prepared himself mentally and physically to carry out the plan by increasingly engaging with terrorist-glorifying content and training in boxing under a private coach."

Rateb Jneid, president of the Sydney-based Australian National Imams Council, said the organisation "firmly" stood with MyCentre and its leadership. "Community organisations that for years have worked to support young people and families should not have their reputations damaged by speculation or guilt by association," Jneid said.

Victorian Islamic Council president Mohamed Mohideen condemned "extremism in all its forms" and noted that the Muslim community should not be stigmatised for the actions of extremists. "We would also like to draw the public's attention to the fact that the Muslim community does not blame other Australians for the Christchurch massacre that killed 52 people," Dr. Mohideen said.

The specific evidentiary basis for the UAE's public link has not been disclosed. The Australian joint counter-terrorism team's investigative conclusions have not been released. The shadow minister's request for a funding review has not received a formal response from the federal government.