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Australian imam denies links to FlyDubai co-pilot accused of trying to hijack flight to Tel Aviv

Read the original at The Independent ↗
Cite

Sarkar, A. R. (2026, October 12). Australian imam denies links to FlyDubai co-pilot accused of trying to hijack flight to Tel Aviv. The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/flydubai-pilot-melbourne-mosque-extremism-b3064977.html

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

The Independent · collected 2026-10-12 · by Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Quick Summary

An Australian imam named Imam Hamza, associated with the MyCentre mosque in Broadmeadows, has denied any connection to an Omani co-pilot accused of attempting to hijack a FlyDubai flight headed for Tel Aviv on September 30. The UAE prosecutors claim that the co-pilot, who had studied engineering at RMIT University in Melbourne, was radicalized through extremist literature and online content as early as 2017 while studying abroad. Imam Hamza responded with a social media post criticizing false accusations but did not directly address the allegations against him or the mosque.
Written by AI on 2026-10-12, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

On October 12, 2026, Emirati officials accused a 29-year-old Omani co-pilot named Hammam Al-Hammami of attempting to hijack a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv on September 30. The UAE's attorney-general, Mr. Al Shamsi, stated that Al-Hammami was radicalized while studying in Melbourne and became acquainted with individuals linked to the MyCentre mosque led by Samir Mohtadi (also known as Abu Hamza). Mohtadi responded on social media, claiming "the righteous will always be attacked" without addressing specific allegations. The co-pilot is accused of attacking his co-pilot with an axe during the flight over Saudi Arabia and attempting to crash into Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, though he was eventually subdued by passengers.

Written for “FlyDubai Hijack Probe Imams Links” on 2026-11-01, grounded in this article and the 5 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 FlyDubai Hijack Probe Imams Links
World · 6 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 17% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
South China Morning Post
Hedges 1 of 2 claims Outlet record 64/100
ABC News (AU)
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 2 of 21 claims Outlet record 68/100
New York Post
Hedges 1 of 9 claims Outlet record 66/100
“While both articles discuss the attack on a FlyDubai flight to Tel Aviv by an Omani co-pilot, Article B focuses on the imam's denial of links to the suspect rather than reporting on the specific incident itself.”
The Sydney Morning Herald
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 4 of 25 claims Outlet record 61/100
The Guardian
Hedges 7 of 19 claims Outlet record 66/100
Al Jazeera
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 7 of 20 claims Outlet record 60/100
New York Post
⚖️ Leans right Hedges 3 of 24 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of the incident; Article A focuses on the denial by an Australian imam linked to the co-pilot, while Article B discusses Mike Huckabee's commentary and implications for airline screening policies.”
National Post
⚖️ Leans strongly right Hedges 2 of 53 claims Outlet record 60/100
“While both articles discuss the Flydubai Flight 1073 incident, Article A focuses on Foreign Minister Anita Anand's statement and what was not mentioned in it, whereas Article B reports on a Melbourne imam denying links to the co-pilot involved in the attack.”
Euronews
Hedges 2 of 9 claims Outlet record 60/100
“While both articles discuss the same incident involving a Flydubai co-pilot who attacked the captain and intended to hijack the flight, Article A focuses on the UAE prosecutor's findings about the co-pilot's intent and inspiration, whereas Article B reports on an Australian imam denying any links to the co-pilot.”
ABC News (AU)
Hedges 4 of 23 claims Outlet record 68/100
“Article A discusses the co-pilot's alleged drift towards extremism in Australia, while Article B focuses on an imam denying links to the co-pilot, indicating a different incident or statement.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
23
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
17%
4 of 23 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
59/100
The Independent's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
6
World
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-12 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

The Independent · 3480 article(s) · 8 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 8 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
32 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
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🔮 Police have also said the man was in New Zealand between November 2018 and May 2019 on a six-month student visa to complete a portion of his flight training for a UK-based company.
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Also by Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 32 articles by Alisha Rahaman Sarkar →

Topics

Independent Melbourne Omani Tel Aviv UAE

Subjects

UAE GPE · 4× Imam Hamza PERSON · 3× Australia GPE · 2× Hamza PERSON · 2× Melbourne GPE · 2× Omani NORP · 2× Tel Aviv GPE · 2× FlyDubai ORG · 1× Independent NORP · 1× Islamic NORP · 1×

Narrative

Imam Hamza, in a social media post, issued a response criticising "false accusations" but did not directly respond to the allegations. “You find those who are righteous; they’ve always been attacked, abused, accused, killed, imprisoned – and this is the way it is," he said.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-12
🔮 Police have also said the man was in New Zealand between November 2018 and May 2019 on a six-month student visa to complete a portion of his flight training for a UK-based company.

Claims (23 extracted, 4 hedged)

A Melbourne imam whose Islamic community centre has been linked to the co-pilot who allegedly attacked the captain of a FlyDubai jet aircraft has broken his silence on social media. uncertain
who → link → media
Prosecutors in the UAE said investigators believe the 29-year-old Omani co-pilot had begun carrying out a premeditated terrorist plot to seize flight FZ1073, which had 150 Israelis among other passengers on board, on 30 September. asserted
which → say → September
The prosecutors alleged that the plan to crash the plane was inspired by the 9/11 attacks on the US. asserted
plan → allege → US
Their probe found the co-pilot first became radicalised while studying in Australia through "reading extremist literature and following online content glorifying terrorist organisations and suicide attacks” as early as 2017. asserted
pilot → find → 2017
The prosecutor alleged the co-pilot met people associated with the MyCentre mosque in Broadmeadows, which was managed by a Lebanese man named Abu Hamza. asserted
which → allege → man
Imam Hamza, also known as Samir Mohtadi, is the leader of the mosque. asserted
Hamza → know → mosque
Neither Hamza nor the mosque has been accused of wrongdoing by the UAE authorities. asserted
Hamza → accuse → authorities
Imam Hamza, in a social media post, issued a response criticising "false accusations" but did not directly respond to the allegations. “You find those who are righteous; they’ve always been attacked, abused, accused, killed, imprisoned – and this is the way it is," he said. asserted
he → issue → those
He recounted a story of Mary or Maryam in Islam being accused of wrongdoing, to which he said she responded: "I swear by Allah, I'm not going to speak to anyone." asserted
I → recount → anyone
Imam Hamza added: "I’m going to fast from talking because there are circumstances, my beloved brothers and respected sisters, regardless of how much you explain yourself to people, that’s it, they’re fixated with their ideas – and that’s it. " asserted
that → add → ideas
You can’t change them. asserted
You → change → them
So the best thing, sometimes, is not to say anything.” asserted
thing → say → anything
Hamza is an Imam of the mosque and community leader, according to reports. uncertain
Hamza → accord → reports
The co-pilot on the Tel Aviv-bound flight used an emergency axe to attack the plane’s Indian captain, Smit Machchhar. asserted
pilot → bind → captain
The incident caused the airliner to plunge 16,000ft in 30 seconds before two other pilots were able to take control and guide the aircraft to safety in Saudi Arabia. asserted
pilots → cause → Arabia
The UAE authorities alleged he was trying to take control of the plane to crash it into Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv. asserted
he → allege → Aviv
UAE officials have not identified the suspect; however, media reports have identified him as Hammam al-Hammami, an Omani national. asserted
reports → identify → Hammami
The Sydney Morning Herald last week unearthed tweets from the co-pilot's now-deleted X account in which he allegedly referred to his five years spent studying abroad as "the golden years of my religious commitment". uncertain
he → unearth → commitment
RMIT University in Melbourne confirmed that the co-pilot had studied engineering, but did not complete his degree. asserted
pilot → confirm → degree
Police have also said the man was in New Zealand between November 2018 and May 2019 on a six-month student visa to complete a portion of his flight training for a UK-based company. uncertain
man → say → company
The president of the Sydney-based Australian Federation of Islamic Councils said that the body "stood firmly" with MyCentre and its leadership. asserted
body → base → MyCentre
Rateb Jneid said: "Community organisations that have spent years supporting young people and families should not have their reputations damaged through speculation or guilt by association." asserted
reputations → say → association
The Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team said it was "investigating the man's links to Australia". asserted
it → say → Australia
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