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Melbourne Islamic leader denies links to suspect in Flydubai attempted hijacking

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 5 outlets, mostly left-leaning (60%).

5 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

Flydubai airliner parked on airport apron at dusk with emergency vehicles nearby.
Image via Al Jazeera EnglishHow images are chosenReport this image

UAE prosecutors allege that a Melbourne Islamic community centre is linked to the suspect in an attempted hijacking of a Flydubai flight. The suspect is named as Omani co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami, and prosecutors allege he was radicalised while studying in Australia. Samir Mohtadi, who also goes by Abu Hamza and leads the centre, rejects the accusations as false, according to Al Jazeera and Breitbart, while the Guardian reports he did not directly address them in a video. France 24 reports that neither the centre nor Hamza is accused of criminal wrongdoing.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. Emirati prosecutors allege that a Melbourne Islamic community centre is linked to the suspect in an attempted hijacking of a Flydubai flight.

    Reported byLeft2Center1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The Guardian, Al Jazeera English
    Center
    France 24
    Far Right
    Breitbart News

  2. Prosecutors allege that the co-pilot suspected in the attempt was radicalised while studying in Australia.

    Reported byCenter1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Center
    France 24
    Far Right
    Breitbart News

  3. Samir Mohtadi, also known as Abu Hamza, rejects the accusations as false.

    Reported byLeft1Center1Far Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    Al Jazeera English
    Center
    France 24
    Far Right
    Breitbart News

  4. The suspect is named as Omani co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami, who is accused of stabbing the other pilot during the attempt on September 30.

    One outletBreitbart News· Far Right

  5. The centre and its leader are not accused of any criminal wrongdoing.

    One outletFrance 24· Center

What is contested

Where accounts differ

Points the coverage does not agree on, and who says what.

  • The Melbourne Islamic centre and its leader are linked to the suspect in the attempted Flydubai hijacking.

    UAE prosecutors allege the link and say the suspect was radicalised while studying in Australia. Samir Mohtadi, also known as Abu Hamza, rejects the accusations as false, while the Guardian reports he did not directly address them in a video.

How each side tells it

Compare views

Every side reports that UAE prosecutors have linked the Melbourne centre to the suspect and that its leader rejects the accusations. The left and centre headlines stress the leader’s response, while the right’s coverage adds the alleged terror plot and the Israeli passengers on the flight.

  • the left

    3 outlets

    Left-side headlines centre the leader’s response: Al Jazeera reports his rejection of false accusations, while the Guardian stresses that he stayed silent in a video.

    Melbourne man linked to flydubai attack suspect rejects ‘false accusations’
    Al Jazeera EnglishLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    1 outlet

    The center headline frames the story around the link itself, calling the suspect a suspected hijacker and reporting the leader’s condemnation of false accusations.

    Melbourne Islamic leader linked to suspected Flydubai hijacker Loaded verb“condemns”Condemns adds a moral judgement to what is a denial of the accusations.More neutral: rejectsDisagree with this highlight? 'false accusations'
    France 24CenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    1 outlet

    Breitbart’s headline puts the allegation first, under the words Allegedly Linked, and shows the leader waving away false accusations on video; only its far-right outlet is present here.

    Watch: Islamic Center Leader Allegedly Linked to Flydubai Hijacker Rejects 'False Accusations'
    Breitbart NewsFar RightAll right-leaning headlines

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

  • Left0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Center1

    condemns

  • Right1

    waved away

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded verb

    condemnsMore neutral: rejects

    Condemns adds a moral judgement to what is a denial of the accusations.

    Melbourne Islamic leader linked to suspected Flydubai hijacker condemns 'false accusations'

    Used byFrance 24 (Center)

  • Loaded verb

    waved awayMore neutral: rejected

    The verb presents the leader’s denial as a casual dismissal rather than a statement of rejection.

    A Melbourne, Australia, Islamic community center leader on Sunday waved away "false" accusations allegedly linking the center with the co-pilot behind the…

    Used byBreitbart News (Far Right)

See the full language guide

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

3 outlets

Leads with

  • the leader’s response to the accusations
  • the alleged link to the suspect
  • his silence in a video

Leaves out

  • the stabbing of the other pilot
  • the suspect’s studies at RMIT in Melbourne

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the 3 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
  • BloombergLeft

    Islamic Leader in Australia Rejects Link to FlyDubai Co-Pilot

    The leader of an Australian Islamic center said he has no links to the FlyDubai co-pilot who attempted to hijack a plane, following allegations from the United Arab Emirates that there was an association with the center.

    Read at Bloomberg (opens in a new tab)
  • Al Jazeera EnglishLeft

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

    Samir Mohtadi "strongly rejects" any attempt to associate him or Islamic centre in Melbourne with the alleged attacker.

    Read at Al Jazeera English (opens in a new tab)
  • The GuardianLeft

    Melbourne Islamic leader silent on centre’s alleged Flydubai hijacker links in Facebook video

    MyCentre leader Samir Mohtadi, who also goes by Abu Hamza, refers to Islamic texts on the virtues of staying silent Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast A leader of a Melbourne Islamic centre allegedly linked to the accused Flydubai hijacker has released …

    Read at The Guardian (opens in a new tab)

From the center

1 outlet

Leads with

  • the leader’s denial
  • prosecutors’ allegation of radicalisation in Australia
  • no criminal accusation against the centre

Leaves out

  • the stabbing of the other pilot
  • the flight route to Tel Aviv

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the headline from the centerHide the headlines
  • France 24Center

    Melbourne Islamic leader linked to suspected Flydubai hijacker Loaded verb“condemns”Condemns adds a moral judgement to what is a denial of the accusations.More neutral: rejectsDisagree with this highlight? 'false accusations'

    Abu Hamza, whose Melbourne-based Islamic community centre was linked by Emirati prosecutors to the suspect in the attempted hijacking of an Israel-bound passenger jet, publicly dismissed "false accusations" against him on Monday. …

    Read at France 24 (opens in a new tab)

From the right

1 outlet

Leads with

  • the September 30 attempted hijacking and stabbing
  • the alleged terrorist plot described by the UAE attorney-general
  • the flight’s Israeli passengers

Leaves out

  • the centre and its leader are not accused of criminal wrongdoing

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the headline from the rightHide the headlines
  • Breitbart NewsFar Right

    Watch: Islamic Center Leader Allegedly Linked to Flydubai Hijacker Rejects 'False Accusations'

    A Melbourne, Australia, Islamic community center leader on Sunday Loaded verb“waved away”The verb presents the leader’s denial as a casual dismissal rather than a statement of rejection.More neutral: rejectedDisagree with this highlight? "false" accusations allegedly linking the center with the co-pilot behind the September 30 attempted hijacking of Flydubai Flight FZ1073.

    Read at Breitbart News (opens in a new tab)

Articles you open from here build My Mix, a private picture of how your reading spreads across the spectrum, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

  • Left

    1 hr 6 min later

    Its first report, Oct 12, 12:55 AM EDT

  • Center

    First to report

    France 24, Oct 11, 11:49 PM EDT

  • Right

    6 hr 49 min later

    Its first report, Oct 12, 6:38 AM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. France 24CenterOct 11, 11:49 PM EDT
  2. The GuardianLeftOct 12, 12:55 AM EDT
  3. Al Jazeera EnglishLeftOct 12, 6:05 AM EDT
  4. Breitbart NewsFar RightOct 12, 6:38 AM EDT
  5. BloombergLeftOct 13, 12:24 AM EDT

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

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