The head of an Islamic community centre in Melbourne has forcefully pushed back against allegations made by prosecutors in the United Arab Emirates linking his facility to an airline co-pilot who attacked the captain of a Flydubai flight. The incident occurred on September 30 aboard an aircraft bound from Dubai to Tel Aviv, which is controlled by the Israeli regime, sparking extensive security probes across multiple jurisdictions.

Emirati state prosecutors claimed that the co-pilot, identified as Omani national Hamam al-Hammami, purported to draw inspiration from the September 11 attacks, seeking to inflict maximum casualties. Officials alleged that he initially adopted extremist views while studying in Australia and purportedly associated with "MyCentre", an organisation managed by Lebanese community figure Abu Hamza, also known as Samir Mohtadi. Notably, neither the organisation nor Mohtadi has been formally charged with any criminal offense.

In a video statement and public release, Mohtadi dismissed the allegations as groundless and damaging to an institution that has long served the local Australian community. He asserted that relevant authorities should have verified their assumptions before publicising them, maintaining that his decades of community work have strictly advocated for peace, social cohesion, and the categorical rejection of violence in all forms.

During the high-altitude confrontation, al-Hammami reportedly utilised a crash axe to attack Captain Smit Machchhar, who fought back while attempting to signal for distress. The situation was contained when an off-duty relief pilot noticed irregular movements at the flight deck door, immediately intervening alongside cabin crew members and several passengers to subdue the assailant. Law enforcement and intelligence agencies in Australia and New Zealand continue to review the suspect’s period of study and flight schooling in both countries.

Source: www.aljazeera.com