Israel says Israeli-Moldovan Rabbi Zvi Kogan murdered in UAE; three people arrested

Israel said on Sunday (Nov. 24) that Israeli-Moldovan rabbi Zvi Kogan was murdered in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), adding that he had been missing since Thursday.

"The intelligence and security authorities in the United Arab Emirates have located the body of Zvi Kogan, who had been missing since Thursday, November 21," the prime minister's office (PMO) and the foreign ministry said in a joint statement.

The statement said that Kogan's murder was a heinous act of anti-Semitic terrorism. On Monday, the UAE said that three people were arrested in connection with the killing. 

Kogan ran Kosher grocery store in Dubai

A report by the news agency Associated Press on Sunday said that Kogan, 28, ran a Kosher grocery store named the Rimon Market in Dubai.

He was an emissary of the Chabad Lubavitch movement, a prominent and highly observant branch of ultra-Orthodox Judaism based in Brooklyn’s Crown Heights neighbourhood in New York City (NYC).

Also read | Shootout near Israeli embassy in Jordan: Govt says shooting was terror attack targeting security forces

The movement said that the 28-year-old was last seen in Dubai. 

The report said that Rimon Market had been the target of online protests since the Israel-Hamas war and Israel's other conflicts in West Asia began.

Earlier on Sunday, UAE state media acknowledged Kogan's disappearance but did not acknowledge that he held Israeli citizenship. Meanwhile, the Emirati Interior Ministry described Kogan as being “missing and out of contact.”

“Specialized authorities immediately began search and investigation operations upon receiving the report,” the ministry added.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog condemned the killing and thanked Emirati authorities for “their swift action.”

'Will do everything to ensure that justice is served'

In the joint statement, the Israeli PMO and foreign ministry said that Israel would do everything in its power to ensure that justice was served and those responsible for Kogan's death were held responsible.

The city of Dubai has seen Israelis flocking for commerce and tourism since the UAE and Israel forged diplomatic ties in the 2020 Abraham Accords.

However, Israel's offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah in Lebanon has stoked anger among Emiratis, Arab nationals, and others living in the UAE.

Iran, which backs both Hamas and Hezbollah, has threatened to retaliate against Israel following a wave of strikes Israel carried out last month in response to a ballistic missile attack by Tehran.

While the Israeli joint statement on Sunday did not mention Iran, Iranian intelligence services have carried out past kidnappings in the UAE.

(With inputs from agencies)