India, Oct. 3 -- The flydubai co-pilot accused of stabbing Captain Smit Machchhar during a mid-air confrontation and allegedly attempting to crash the aircraft carrying 174 passengers had previously been barred from flying in Oman over concerns about his alleged radicalisation, according to a report by The Times of Israel.

The suspect, identified as Omani national Hamam al-Hammami, was born in the United Arab Emirates to an Omani father and a Syrian mother and spent several years in the UAE, CNN reported, citing two sources and an Israeli official.

A regional diplomat told CNN that al-Hammami had been removed from flight training because of concerns over his radical views and subsequently assigned a different role at Oman's national air...