‘Unfounded’: Melbourne imam denies links to flydubai terror suspect

The imam of a Melbourne mosque has actually rejected claims by United Arab Emirates authorities that he is connected to the implicated flydubai hijacker.

In a declaration published to social networks, Samir Mohtadi– likewise referred to as Abu Hamza – rejected that implicated terrorist Hammam al-Hammami participated in Islamic centre, MyCentre, in Broadmeadows.

“I (Abu Hamza) highly turn down current media reports recommending any connection in between myself, Multicultural Youth Centre and the co-pilot, Al-Hammami,” the declaration stated.

“I have actually never ever satisfied Al-Hammami, who has actually been described in current media reports, and we have no record of him ever attending our centre. The appropriate authorities must have confirmed these claims with me before launching or releasing such info,” he stated.

“Throughout my life, I have actually regularly preached peace, and both my work and the work of the centre have actually constantly concentrated on promoting peace, consistency, shared regard, and neighborhood wellness. We unquestionably turn down violence in all its types.

“I highly turn down any effort to associate me or Multicultural Youth Centre with Al-Hammami. Such claims are unproven, deceptive and danger unjustly harming the credibility of an organisation that has actually served the broader Australian neighborhood for years.”

UAE authorities declare al-Hammami ended up being radicalised in 2017 while studying in Australia, which while living here he was likewise connected with MyCentre. This masthead is not recommending the mosque or Mohtadi purposefully taught al-Hammami to participate in violence or terrorism, or were associated with any misbehavior.

While horror professionals state al-Hammami’s radicalisation appears to have actually been mostly self-driven and online, the UAE reports have actually triggered calls to examine the nearly $2 million in federal government financing that has actually streamed to MyCentre given that 2018.

Referred to as a center for the Muslim neighborhood in Melbourne’s northern residential areas, the Broadmeadows centre of which Mohtadi is a director and neighborhood leader, consists of physical fitness and marine centers, a college that teaches English, mathematics, Arabic and Islamic Studies.

The centre likewise runs Ayesha Mosque, at the exact same address.

State and federal government files reveal MyCentre got a $730,000 grant from Victoria for neighborhood facilities and $1.17 million from the federal government to subsidise child care employee salaries.

The declaration followed the release of a video published online on Sunday night, in which Mohtadi promised to “quickly from talking”, and stated critics are too “focused” for his words to change their views.

“You discover those who are exemplary; they’ve constantly been assaulted, mistreated, implicated, eliminated, put behind bars– and this is the method it is,” Mohtadi stated.

“I’m going to quickly from talking since there are scenarios, my precious siblings and appreciated siblings, regardless just how much you discuss yourself to individuals, that’s it, they’re focused with their concepts– which’s it. You can’t alter them. The finest thing, often, is not to state anything.”

Terrorism professional Dr Josh Roose stated the info from UAE authorities ought to trigger an evaluation of federal government financing for the centre, in addition to the requirement to examine Australia’s charity legislation.

“He has actually raised $3-4 million for a centre that he’s structure in Victoria, and his organisations are charitable.

“There are substantial concerns with charities legislation”.

The Deakin University associate teacher stated extremist views and radicalisation tended to be turned down by Australian mosques and pressed into smaller sized fringe groups.

“Extremists tend to be tossed out of the mainstream mosques and after that go and form their own organisations,” he stated. “And typically what you’ll discover is that even within these more mainstream groups, there’s fringe organisations that have actually been tossed out of them … and they form their own bookshops or conference garages and fitness centers and so on.

“This is a fairly big, well-funded centre with a sensible variety of individuals participating in. There’s more comprehensive concerns about the messaging, which is essentially, ‘You do not require to get into Australia at all, all you require is your faith, Australia’s damaged and dreadful’.”

In 2025, the Victorian federal government likewise offered $2.5 million to the Northern Community Support Group through MyCare, according to Broadmeadows Labor MP Kathleen Matthews-Ward, who informed parliament the financing would support Muslim neighborhoods and make it harder for separated individuals to be controlled.

A Victorian federal government representative informed this masthead on Monday that it had no active financing arrangements with MyCentre.

Mohtadi, whose household moved from Lebanon, is thought about a popular Islamic figure, understood especially through his youth work.

In 2017, he explained MyCentre as promoting “anti-extremism” in a witness declaration supporting a centre volunteer Omar Chkhaidem, a then-teenager founded guilty over a prohibited tobacco-growing operation.

“According to the imam … the centre supplies alcohol and drug counselling and promotes anti-extremism,” the judgment kept in mind.

Mohtadi likewise looked like a prosecution witness and provided proof versus terrorist leader Abdul Nacer Benbrika, in what was then Australia’s biggest-ever terrorism trial.

was stated by, a popular Muslim who was called by the Crown, to follow a variation of Islam which he … considered as ‘extreme’,” County Court Judge Bernard Bongiorno kept in mind in his sentencing remarks.

Under interrogation, Mohtadi confessed that in his experience, lots of young Muslims and individuals– including himself– have actually taken a look at extremist product, consisting of beheading videos.

In 2010, the imam took a trip to a number of Middle Eastern nations with IS propagandist Robert “Musa” Cerantonio to protect funds for MyCentre. According to a 2015 Excellent Weekend report, ASIO authorities informed Cerantonio at the time that the federal government supported his efforts to take a trip and raise the cash.

Cerantonio was founded guilty in 2019 together with 5 other extremist Australian males for leading the group’s prepare for a foreign attack to assist topple the federal government of the southern Philippines.

Mohtadi has actually likewise dealt with criticism– consisting of from within the Muslim neighborhood– over his arch-conservative views and anti-LGBTQ rhetoric.

“In Australia, in basic, the greatest concern that we have is drugs, alcohol, pornography, LGBTQ,” he stated throughout an August interview with a Malaysian Islamic radio station.

On September 30, al-Hammami, 29, was co-pilot on a flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv. He is implicated of assaulting the captain with the intent of crashing the airplane into Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, up until he was subdued by travelers.

According to UAE authorities, al-Hammami started gravitating “towards extremism and terrorism” when he was studying in Australia.

“During that duration, he was affected by takfiri ideology through reading extremist literature and following online material glorifying terrorist organisations and suicide attacks,” the UAE’s attorney-general stated in the declaration.

mentioned that the centre was handled by a Lebanese guy called Abu Hamza and apparently got assistance from an association connected to the Muslim Brotherhood.”

Australian authorities have actually not validated the accusations detailed in the UAE’s declaration, released recently by its state-operated news company

3 anti-terror professionals knowledgeable about Victoria’s Muslim neighborhoods and leaders informed this masthead that it appeared al-Hammami’s radicalisation occurred well away from a mosque or identified neighborhood.

One senior Melbourne Muslim leader, who asked not to be recognized due to the allegations that had actually followed the UAE reports, stated al-Hammami’s radicalisation was not linked to a mosque.

“While we invite everybody, it is difficult for any neighborhood to predict or be connected to the actions a specific may individually take almost a years later on.”

Victoria University extremism scientist Dr Debra Smith stated while it might be appealing to search for a particular social connection to discuss somebody’s path to terrorism, radicalisation was often a self-directed procedure.

“When this takes place, the radicalising individual tends to withdraw from the peers or neighborhood they have actually linked to. That sort of active withdrawal is frequently a much more powerful driver for terrorism,” Smith stated.

“What we see in this case is that al-Hammami appears to have actually withdrawn from numerous locations of his life, including his university research studies and his connections to the Muslim neighborhood in Australia.

“It appears he was acting alone and was extremely self-directed on his path to terrorism.”

Al-Hammami was pursuing a mechanical engineering degree at Melbourne’s RMIT University. According to a short article released by Emirates News Agency, he had actually routinely participated in a mosque associated with the university, where he ended up being familiarized with people related to MyCentre.

The Victorian Joint Counter-Terrorism Team is examining al-Hammami’s time in Australia, including his time studying at RMIT University.

London’s Financial Times reported that Australia’s intelligence services had actually opened a file on al-Hammami while he was residing in Melbourne. A senior source in the nationwide security neighborhood highly rejected this.

Al-Hammami may have been consisted of in a database or pointed out in relation to another person however had actually not been examined by ASIO at a major level, stated the source, who spoke on the condition of privacy to talk about delicate matters.

The Australian Federation of Islamic Councils turned down any insinuation of a connection in between MyCentre and violent extremism, in a declaration launched on Sunday.

“AFIC verifies unquestionably that MyCentre is a highly regarded neighborhood organisation understood for its youth engagement, household assistance programs, counselling services and well balanced neighborhood messaging,” the declaration checked out.

“The centre has a long record of positive deal with youths, households and regional organizations, and has actually regularly promoted legal, serene and socially accountable conduct.”

There is no proof the centre had actually ever backed, assisted in or endured any type of violence or illegal activity, according to the federation of Islamic councils.

“Attempts to associate MyCentre with terrorism are deceptive, damaging and irregular with the truths,” it stated.

Federation president Rateb Jneid stated neighborhood organisations that had actually invested years supporting youths and households must not have their credibilities harmed through speculation or regret by association.

“We need to not enable sensationalism to weaken the important work being done within our neighborhoods or produce unneeded suspicion and department.”

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