In short:
Authorities in the United Arab Emirates have said the 29-year-old suspect in the alleged hijacking of a flydubai flight was radicalised while studying in Melbourne.
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suspect → say → Melbourne
The Emirati attorney-general said the man became acquainted with people linked to a Melbourne mosque led by Samir Mohtadi.
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man → say → Mohtadi
Referring to "false allegations", Mr Mohtadi said: "The righteous will always be attacked".
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righteous → refer → allegations
The imam of a Melbourne mosque allegedly linked to the suspect in the attempted hijacking of a flydubai plane has taken to social media to claim "the righteous will always be attacked" and referred to "false allegations", while not directly addressing the allegations.
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righteous → link → allegations
In a statement released via state media last week, the United Arab Emirates attorney-general said the 29-year-old terror suspect, widely reported as Omani national Hammam Al-Hammami, started to "drift towards extremism and terrorism" while studying in Melbourne.
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suspect → release → Melbourne
Mr Al-Hammami is accused of attacking his co-pilot with an axe in the skies over Saudi Arabia as they were flying a flydubai plane carrying more than 170 passengers.
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they → accuse → passengers
Emirati authorities allege he was trying to take control of the plane to crash it into Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel, in a "suicide attack".
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he → allege → attack
The Emirati attorney-general said that during Mr Al-Hammami's time in Melbourne, the suspect began "reading extremist literature and following online content glorifying terrorist organisations and suicide attacks".
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suspect → say → organisations
According to the statement, the man met individuals associated with the My Centre mosque in Broadmeadows in 2017 while studying at RMIT and that "the centre was managed by a Lebanese man known as Abu Hamza".
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centre → accord → Hamza
The mosque's leader, Samir Mohtadi, known as Abu Hamza, invoked Jesus and Mary in a social media video in which he concluded: "The best thing sometimes is not to say anything."
"Right through the ages … those who're righteous, they've always been attacked, abused, accused, killed, imprisoned — and this is the way it is," Mr Mohtadi said.
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Mohtadi → know → ages
He recounted a story of Mary, known in Islam as Maryam, being accused of wrongdoing, to which he said she responded: "I swear by Allah, I'm not going to speak to anyone."
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I → recount → anyone
"There are circumstances, my beloved brothers and respected sisters, regardless how much you explain yourself to people, they're fixated with their ideas and that's it; you can't change them," Mr Mohtadi said.
"
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Mohtadi → be → them
So the best thing sometimes is not to say anything.
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thing → say → anything
"They're going to continue accusing you … making false accusations."
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They → go → accusations
He also said worshipping God, rather than defending oneself, was a better use of one's time.
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worshipping → say → time
The ABC does not suggest that Mr Mohtadi or My Centre radicalised Mr Al-Hammami or were otherwise connected to the flydubai incident; simply that the authorities in the UAE have raised the connection.
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authorities → suggest → connection
Mr Mohtadi and My Centre, which is run by the Islamic Information & Services Network of Australasia (IISNA), were contacted for comment.
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which → run → comment
RMIT University has confirmed Al-Hammami studied engineering there but did not successfully complete his degree.
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Hammami → confirm → degree
Mr Al Shamsi, the Emirati attorney-general, said during the interrogation of Al-Hammami it emerged he had been inspired by the September 11 terror attacks.
"[He] also said that he had prepared himself both psychologically and physically to carry out the plot by intensifying his exposure to material promoting terrorism and training in boxing under a private coach," the news agency reported.
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agency → say → coach
Last week, the Australian Federal Police confirmed it had launched an investigation into Mr Al-Hammami's time in Australia.
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it → confirm → Australia
Islamic Council of Victoria president Mohamed Mohideen told the ABC he condemned "all forms of extremism".
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he → tell → extremism
The Aporia
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