TEL AVIV, Oct 2 - Israeli officials are expected to question the co-pilot who allegedly attempted to crash a commercial passenger flight from Dubai bound for Tel Aviv, according to a source briefed on the investigation.

Disaster was averted on flydubai flight FZ1073 on Wednesday after passengers and crew subdued the co-pilot, who had stabbed the captain in what Israeli officials have said was an apparent attempt to crash the plane carrying 174 passengers and crew.

A reserve flydubai pilot crew travelling on the flight landed the plane at Tabuk airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia, where the co-pilot was detained by Saudi Arabian authorities.

The co-pilot was transferred on Thursday to the UAE, where the source said Israeli officials were expected to question him.

The source declined to say which Israeli agency or authority would take part in the questioning.

Asked whether Israeli officials would question the co-pilot, an Israeli government official told Reuters that Israeli investigators would take part in the UAE-led investigation alongside Emirati authorities, seeking to determine what happened and examine the suspect's motives and background.

The UAE foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether Israeli officials would question the co-pilot.

The UAE state news agency reported on Thursday that Emirati authoriites had opened an investigation seeking to establish the circumstances and motives and determine "whether the incident was linked to any terrorist activity or purpose, or involved prior planning or direction".

MOTIVE NOT YET ESTABLISHED

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that Israel was looking into whether the co-pilot had acted under anyone's direction, warning in a video statement released by his office that whoever was involved would pay a "heavy price".

Most of the passengers on board were Israeli nationals.

Netan...