Pauline Hanson has demanded a review into how community grants are handed out after it emerged a Melbourne mosque visited by the alleged Flydubai hijack pilot had received almost $70,000 in taxpayer funds.
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mosque → demand → funds
Hamam al-Hammami, who is accused of attempting to hijack and crash an Israel-bound passenger jet on September 30, confessed he began drifting towards extremism while studying in Melbourne in 2017.
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he → accuse → 2017
According to the United Arab Emirates Attorney-General, al-Hammami told investigators he had become acquainted with individuals at the MyCentre mosque in Broadmeadows.
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he → accord → Broadmeadows
As scrutiny grows over what role those individuals played in al-Hammami's radicalisation, the Albanese government is also facing tough questions after it was revealed the MyCentre mosque received more than $68,000 in community grants through the Department of Home Affairs.
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mosque → grow → Affairs
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has slammed Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke over the revelation and called for a widespread review into how community grants are handed out.
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grants → slam → review
'The prospect that taxpayer funds could be furthering terrorist activities is a truly shocking revelation,' Hanson said.
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Hanson → further → activities
'Tony Burke must answer whether he or his department sought security advice before signing off these grants and whether any other organisations linked to people under ASIO investigation have received taxpayer money under this program.
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organisations → answer → program
The same government that refused to name radical Islamic terrorism for days after the Bondi massacre, dragged its feet on a Royal Commission, and fails to confront Islamic extremism head-on is now at risk of funding extremism too.
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that → refuse → extremism
Hamam al-Hammami (pictured) began drifting towards extremism while in Melbourne in 2017, according to a top United Arab Emirates prosecutor
He told investigators he became acquainted with individuals at MyCentre mosque in Broadmeadows, in Melbourne's north
Pauline Hanson is now demanding a review into how community grants are handed out after it was revealed the mosque received almost $70,000 in taxypayer funding
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mosque → picture → funding
One Nation analysis claims that multiculturalism grants have increased from under $6 million in 2022/23 to $325 million in the 2025/26 financial year.
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grants → claim → year
GrantConnect records show the mosque initially received a grant of $36,960 in 2024, and a further $31,176 in 2025 under the Community Language Schools Grants Program, News24 reports.
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News24 → show → Program
The program, administered by the federal Department of Home Affairs, was intended to help young people learn or maintain languages other than English.
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people → administer → English
The mosque also received a $500 donation for an iftar dinner, a meal that breaks a Ramadan fast, from the Australian Federal Police in 2018, one year after al-Hammami left Australia.
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Hammami → receive → Australia
When asked about the grants during an appearance on News24's Andrew Clennell Show on Sunday, Burke said he didn't have any "more information" on the matter.
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he → ask → matter
'I don't have more information on that Andrew, I'm sorry, I'll be able to find something out, I don't directly manage that part of the program,' Burke said.
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Burke → have → program
'It is really important that we use every lever we have to be able to make sure that we are denying oxygen to people who want to do us harm.
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who → use → harm
'We need to make sure that we are making it harder for them to operate in every single way.
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them → need → way
So that's the principle I'd apply to it.'
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I → apply → it
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke is facing serious questions over the matter
It comes as shocking new details have emerged about al-Hammami's alleged descent into extremism while studying in Australia.
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details → face → Australia
'During that period, he was influenced by Takfiri ideology through reading extremist literature and following online content glorifying terrorist organisations and suicide attacks,' UAE Attorney-General Hamad Saif al Shamsi said.
'
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Shamsi → influence → organisations
He also drew inspiration from the 11 September 2001 attacks, and the idea of carrying out a similar operation using an aircraft became firmly established in his thinking.
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He → draw → thinking
'
Takfir is the act of one Muslim declaring another a non-believer, an extremist doctrine sometimes used as a justification for violence.
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another → declare → violence
Al-Hammami allegedly planned to crash Flydubai flight 1073 into a terminal at Israel's Ben Gurion Airport on September 30.
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Hammami → plan → September
He allegedly wounded captain Smit Machchhar with an onboard crash axe as he attempted to take control of the plane on its way to Tel Aviv.
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he → wound → Aviv
Passengers and crew grappled with the Omani national to regain control of the aircraft, which plummeted 14,000ft in just 29 seconds.
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which → grapple → seconds
Mr Machchhar was praised for helping save the lives of the 172 passengers on board.
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Machchhar → praise → board
While cruising at altitude, the pilot was able to fight off his co-pilot in the cockpit and thwart his alleged attempts to sabotage the plane's systems.
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pilot → cruise → systems
The Daily Mail has contacted MyCentre for comment.
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Mail → contact → comment
The Aporia
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