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Melbourne man linked to flydubai attack suspect rejects ‘false accusations’

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Al Jazeera Staff. (2026, October 12). Melbourne man linked to flydubai attack suspect rejects ‘false accusations’. Al Jazeera. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/12/melbourne-man-linked-to-flydubai-attack-suspect-rejects-false-accusations?traffic_source=rss

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

Al Jazeera · collected 2026-10-12 · by Al Jazeera Staff

Quick Summary

A Melbourne man whose Islamic community centre is linked by UAE prosecutors to a flydubai co-pilot accused of attacking the plane’s captain has denied any wrongdoing. Samir Mohtadi, who manages the Multicultural Youth Centre in Melbourne, released a video and statement rejecting what he called "false accusations" that his center was involved with or influenced by the suspect. The UAE prosecutor claims the co-pilot became radicalized while studying in Australia through extremist literature and online content, though no criminal charges are made against Mohtadi or his organization.
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 2026-11-04, 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 leans left and hedges 35% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
South China Morning Post
Hedges 1 of 2 claims Outlet record 62/100
The Independent
Hedges 1 of 16 claims Outlet record 59/100
“Article A discusses the social media posts and background of the attacker, while Article B focuses on a Melbourne man's response to accusations linked to the attack suspect.”
Euronews
Hedges 2 of 9 claims Outlet record 60/100
“Article A describes the UAE prosecutor's findings about the co-pilot's plans and inspiration, while Article B focuses on a Melbourne man reacting to accusations linked to the suspect. They do not describe the same specific incident.”
Daily Mail
Hedges 5 of 46 claims Outlet record 69/100
“Article A describes the actual incident where the co-pilot attempted to hijack a Flydubai flight, while Article B reports on reactions and allegations related to a Melbourne man linked to the suspect.”
ABC News (AU)
Hedges 4 of 23 claims Outlet record 67/100
“Article A discusses investigators' findings about the pilot's past in Australia, while Article B focuses on a Melbourne man rejecting accusations linked to the suspect. These are different aspects of related events.”
Times of India
Hedges 11 of 22 claims Outlet record 59/100
“Article A discusses the findings that reveal the hijacker's inspiration for his actions, while Article B focuses on a Melbourne man rejecting accusations linked to the suspect. They cover different aspects and parties involved.”
Daily Mail
Hedges 6 of 28 claims Outlet record 69/100
“The articles discuss related incidents involving a mosque and an accused hijacker but describe different events: one focuses on Pauline Hanson demanding a review of community grants to a mosque, while the other is about a Melbourne man rejecting accusations linked to the Flydubai incident.”
ABC News (AU)
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 2 of 21 claims Outlet record 67/100
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
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
20
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
35%
7 of 20 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans left
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
60/100
Al Jazeera'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

Al Jazeera · 4846 article(s) · 3 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 3 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Al Jazeera Staff
871 article(s) here · 0 carrying a prediction
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Wire or desk byline, not an individual reporter.
Also by Al Jazeera Staff
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
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Topics

Australia Melbourne MyCentre UAE flydubai

Subjects

Australia GPE · 4× Abu Hamza PERSON · 3× MyCentre ORG · 3× UAE GPE · 3× Mohtadi PERSON · 2× Islamic NORP · 1× Melbourne GPE · 1× Omani NORP · 1× flydubai ORG · 1× the United Arab Emirates GPE · 1×

Narrative

- list 3 of 4Police investigating Flydubai co-pilot’s Australia ties - list 4 of 4Flydubai co-pilot plotted ‘suicide’ attack on Israel, UAE says The prosecutor said the co-pilot, who has been identified in multiple media reports as Hamam al-Hammami, first became radicalised while studying in Australia “through reading extremist literature and following online content glorifying terrorist organisations and suicide attacks”.
framing: mixed · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-12

Claims (20 extracted, 7 hedged)

A Melbourne man whose Islamic community centre has been linked by prosecutors in the United Arab Emirates to the co-pilot who allegedly attacked the captain of a flydubai jet has hit out at “false accusations”. uncertain
who → link → accusations
The Omani co-pilot, now in custody in the UAE, had drawn inspiration from Al-Qaeda’s September 11, 2001 attacks, and carried out his attempt “with the aim of causing the greatest possible loss of life”, according to the Emirati prosecutor’s findings published by state media last week. uncertain
pilot → draw → media
Recommended Stories list of 4 items- list 1 of 4What are the five questions being asked regarding the Flydubai attack? asserted
questions → ask → attack
- list 2 of 4How was Flydubai co-pilot cleared despite being deemed a security risk? asserted
pilot → clear → ?
- list 3 of 4Police investigating Flydubai co-pilot’s Australia ties - list 4 of 4Flydubai co-pilot plotted ‘suicide’ attack on Israel, UAE says The prosecutor said the co-pilot, who has been identified in multiple media reports as Hamam al-Hammami, first became radicalised while studying in Australia “through reading extremist literature and following online content glorifying terrorist organisations and suicide attacks”. asserted
who → investigate → organisations
The prosecutor alleged he was acquainted there with an organisation known as “MyCentre” managed by a Lebanese man called Abu Hamza. asserted
he → allege → man
Neither “MyCentre” nor Abu Hamza are accused of any criminal wrongdoing. asserted
MyCentre → accuse → wrongdoing
In a video posted on social media on Sunday, Abu Hamza – also named by local media as Samir Mohtadi – rejected what he called “false accusations”. asserted
he → post → what
“Right through the ages, those who’re righteous, they’ve always been attacked, abused, accused, killed, imprisoned — and this is the way it is”, he said in a four-minute video shared on MyCentre’s Facebook page. asserted
he → ’re → page
He did not directly comment on the UAE prosecutor’s claims in the video, but in a separate statement cited by Australia’s ABC news outlet, Mohtadi was quoted as saying that he “strongly rejects” any attempt to associate him or the centre with the alleged attacker. uncertain
he → comment → attacker
“The relevant authorities should have verified these claims with me before releasing or publishing such information,” the statement said. uncertain
statement → verify → information
“Throughout my life, I have consistently preached peace,” he said. asserted
he → preach → peace
“Both in my work and the work of the centre have always focused on promoting peace, harmony, mutual respect and community wellbeing. asserted
Both → focus → peace
We unequivocally reject violence in all its forms,” Mr Mohtadi said. asserted
Mohtadi → reject → forms
“I strongly reject any attempt to associate me or [the] Multicultural Youth Centre with Al-Hammami. asserted
I → reject → Hammami
Such claims are unfounded, misleading and risk unfairly damaging the reputation of an organisation that has served the wider Australian community for decades.” uncertain
that → mislead → decades
During the September 30 flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, the suspect used an emergency axe to attack the plane’s Indian captain, Smit Machchhar, who fought back and tried to call for help. asserted
who → use → help
Another pilot assigned to the return flight who was also on board “noticed the cockpit door opening and closing repeatedly in an unusual manner”, according to the findings. uncertain
door → assign → findings
After gaining entry, he “intervened with the assistance of a cabin crew member and several passengers, and together they rescued the injured captain and restrained the suspect”. asserted
they → gain → suspect
Police and intelligence services in Australia and New Zealand are still investigating the alleged attacker’s links to both countries, where he allegedly spent time as a student and where he completed some of his flight training, according to national broadcaster Radio New Zealand (RNZ). uncertain
he → investigate → Zealand
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