Melbourne Islamic Leader Denies Links to Alleged Flydubai Hijacker

Samir Mohtadi, leader of the Melbourne Islamic centre MyCentre, has vehemently denied any association with the alleged Flydubai hijacker, Hammam al-Hammami. Mohtadi, who also uses the name Abu Hamza, stated that he never met the suspect and condemned violence in all its forms.

The UAE government has claimed that al-Hammami's radicalization began while he was a student at RMIT University in Melbourne in 2017. Mohtadi's rejection of these claims comes amidst ongoing investigations into the suspect's background and alleged ideological drift towards extremism.