A social media influencer from Yemen, nicknamed the “hot Houthi pirate”, has told his online admirers to call off their crushes.
Rashid Al Haddad, 19, had gone viral after posting a series of video selfies of himself on board hijacked container ships in the Red Sea.
His videos gained significant traction online – in part due to their setting, but also because of Al Haddad’s good looks, which earned him the moniker “Timhouthi Chalamet”, a wordplay on American actor and heartthrob Timothée Chalamet.
Social media users have also compared his looks to those of iconic figures from media and history, with “Captain Jack Sparrow”, “Alexander the Great” and “Che [Guevara] without the beret” among the most popular comparisons.
Haddad’s good looks earned him the moniker “Timhouthi Chalamet”
TikTok/Reuters
But Al Haddad has used his newfound fame to instruct his five-figure-strong following to focus not on him, but on the Israel-Hamas war.
Posting on social media, he said: “I didn’t talk about beauty or anything else, but our cause is Palestine, and this is not the time to talk about beauty.
“I hope that my message reaches you, a free Palestine, and we ignite it against the Israeli aggression that violates human rights.”
He said he was a “big supporter of Palestine” and is “looking forward to bigger and more exciting things” in an interview with Hasan Piker via a translator.
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The UK and US unleashed air strikes on more than 60 Houthi targets last week
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Al Haddad is not alone in documenting the Houthi rebels’ activities in the Red Sea online – social media has become a forum for pirates and politicians alike, who share videos of raids and speeches on platforms like Telegram.
There was doubt on social media about Al Haddad’s age and involvement in piracy, though users even asked if he was a child soldier – over 1,400 of which died for the Houthis in 2020 alone.
But despite his video clips, many of which feature himself and others aboard the hijacked Galaxy Leader container ship, Al Haddad has insisted he just “likes adventures” and is not a pirate.
The illegal seizure of the ship by Houthi rebels and its subsequent monetisation as a tourist attraction means that social media figures like Al Haddad can climb aboard.
Houthi attacks on freight and military vessels in the Red Sea led to action from the US, who launched Operation Prosperity Guardian alongside more than 20 other nations including the UK in December.
With the Iran-backed rebels continuing to bombard ships, the EU is planning a “new military operation” which would bolster Operation Prosperity Guardian’s efforts to protect shipping lanes.
The UK and US unleashed air strikes on more than 60 Houthi targets last week in retaliation to the group’s actions.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak described the Houthis’ acts as “reckless” and “exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in Yemen” after the strikes.