Rashid Al Haddad/TikTok
- A young Yemeni man has been nicknamed "Timhouthi Chalamet."
- Rashid Al Haddad has posted several videos touring a cargo ship captured by Houthis in the Red Sea.
- The videos show an unusual perspective on a conflict that has drawn the US into military action.
A young Yemeni man nicknamed "Timhouthi Chalamet" is building a following, posting videos of him touring a captured cargo ship in the Red Sea.
But his account has disappeared from TikTok, as Vice reported. It's unclear whether the platform removed it or he did.
His case is an unusual run-in between social-media culture and a deadly serious conflict that's ramping up tensions in the Middle East.
As well as his TikTok following, the man, who goes by Rashid Al Haddad online, has 27,000 followers on Instagram. His account there was still live on Wednesday.
His Instagram profile is full of videos of him aboard the Galaxy Leader, which was hijacked by the Houthi militant group on November 19.
The hijacking was one of the most striking attacks in the Red Sea by the Houthis, who have also attacked ships with missiles and drones.
Al Haddad was posting on TikTok until around Tuesday this week, Vice reported. Business Insider reached out to TikTok to ask why the account vanished.
Vice reported that there was no evidence Al Haddad was part of the raid but that in some of his posts, he wore military clothing and carried an AK-47.
His good-looking appearance has also earned him fans, including those who say he resembles the actor Timothée Chalamet. That similarity earned him the nickname "Timhouthi Chalamet."
One of Al Haddad's videos was shared to X, where it amassed more than 19 million views.
Others have criticized the fandom, saying Al Haddad's content is glamorizing the Houthis, who are accused of widespread war crimes and human-rights violations by groups such as Human Rights Watch.
On Tuesday, numerous US outlets reported that the Biden administration planned to designate the Houthis as a terrorist group.
yemeni pirates positing casual tiktok’s while the entire western imperial core are having a meltdown about their blockade on their ships is the funniest shit of 2024, surely. pic.twitter.com/72EvlHZeMs
— FOLLOW RASHID🔻ميكا ☭ (@comrademika) January 15, 2024
The Houthis have been attacking shipping vessels around the Red Sea for several weeks, in one of the world's most vital trade routes, saying it's in protest of Israel's bombings in Gaza.
The group has supported Hamas since its terrorist attack on Israel in October and has since said they've attacked dozens of ships passing through the Suez Canal in retaliation.
The delays caused by the hijacks could have a massive negative impact on the global economy.
There are also rumors the Galaxy Leader has become a tourist attraction, with the MailOnline reporting that people were seen taking selfies on and touring the vessel.