Ax-wielding FlyDubai co-pilot had been flagged over extremism concerns

CAIRO (AP) — The United Arab Emirates says the co-pilot on a FlyDubai flight that nearly crashed with 182 people on board attacked the captain with the cockpit’s crash ax in a “terrorist attack.” Earlier Saturday, the co-pilot was identified as an Omani national named Hamam al-Hammami by three people with knowledge of the situation, including a Gulf and a Western diplomat. The Gulf diplomat said investigations are underway to determine whether he acted alone or has connections to extremist groups. Two other people familiar with the matter said the co-pilot had been barred from flying by Oman over concerns he had adopted extremist views.