Melbourne Islamic leader rejects centre’s alleged Flydubai hijacker links after Facebook video

MyCentre leader Samir Mohtadi, who also goes by Abu Hamza, says claims associating him with flyDubai pilot are unfounded

The leader of a Melbourne Islamic centre allegedly linked to the accused Flydubai hijacker has rejected any connection with the radicalised pilot, saying he never met the suspect, and condemned “violence in all its forms”.

The UAE’s attorney-general stated al-Hammami, had said that while studying in Melbourne he regularly attended a mosque affiliated with RMIT, and through those visits had become acquainted with people associated with a centre known as “MyCentre”.

In a statement issued late on Monday, Samir Mohtadi – who also goes by Abu Hamza – said al-Hammami was unknown to the Multicultural Youth Centre (MyCentre).

“I strongly reject any attempt to associate me or Multicultural Youth Centre with Al-Hammami.

Mohtadi said MyCentre had provided community services, including education, gyms, sporting facilities, aquatic and medical centres, and spiritual support for the wider Melbourne community over decades.

“Throughout my life, I have consistently preached peace, and both my work and the work of the centre have always focused on promoting peace, harmony, mutual respect and community wellbeing. We unequivocally reject violence in all its forms.”

On Sunday night, Mohtadi appeared in a four-minute video released on the centre’s Facebook page.

“You’ll find those who are righteous you’ll always find have been attacked, abused, accused, killed, imprisoned, and this is the way it is,” Mohtadi said in the video.

Passengers and crew on the 30 September flight, which had 182 people onboard, intervened to stop the alleged attempt to hijack the plane and crash it into Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv in a “premeditated terrorist plot”, according to the UAE attorney general’s statement.

“The idea of carrying out a similar operation using an aircraft became firmly established in his thinking,” the statement said.

Australian security agencies launched an investigation after it emerged al-Hammami spent about two years in the country, with New Zealand authorities also examining his time there between November 2018 and May 2019.