The United Arab Emirates arrested three suspects in the murder of Israeli Rabbi Zvi Kogan.
DUBAI (Reuters) – Three people have been arrested in connection with the alleged murder of an Israeli citizen in the United Arab Emirates, the Emirati Interior Ministry said on Sunday.
The ministry’s statement did not provide details about the suspects or whether they have been charged.but said All legal powers will be used “to respond decisively and without leniency to any action or effort that threatens social stability”.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office condemned the killing of 28-year-old Rabbi Zvi Kogan, calling it “heinous anti-Semitic terrorism”. And said Israel will do everything possible to bring those responsible to justice.
According to local authorities, Kogan was a resident of the United Arab Emirates and a citizen of Moldova. He worked with the New York-based Orthodox Jewish Chabad movement and was first reported missing on Thursday. His body was discovered on Sunday.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry said all Israeli agencies were involved in the investigation and that Kogan was last seen at a kosher supermarket in Dubai.
Kogan’s body was found in the Emirati city of Al Ain, bordering OmanAlthough Former Israeli politician Ayub Kara told Reuters in Dubai that it was unclear whether he was killed there or elsewhere.
Kara, a member of Israel’s ruling right-wing Likud party, which promotes economic ties between Israel and the Arab world, said there were indications that investigators suspected Iranian involvement.
The Iranian embassy in the UAE said it “categorically rejects the allegations of Iran’s involvement in the man’s murder”.
Israel reissued its advice to citizens to avoid non-essential travel to the UAE. He said the people there now should be. At least Movement, stay in safe areas, And Avoid visiting places associated with Israel and the Jewish population.
The White House said this. was closely coordinating. with Israel and the United Arab Emirates.
“We condemn in the strongest terms the killing of Rabbi Zvi Kogan in the United Arab Emirates, and our prayers are with his family,” White House National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said.
The UAE’s Israeli and Jewish communities have become more prominent since 2020, when the UAE became the most prominent Arab state in 30 years to establish formal relations with Israel under a US-brokered agreement, dubbed the Abraham Accords. has gone
The UAE has maintained ties during the 13 months since the Israeli invasion of Gaza. Since then, however, Israelis and Jews have become less prominent in the public eye. October 7, 2023, Which led to the recent crisis and sparked protests around the world.
Kara said the UAE’s Jewish community was in “shock” over Kogan’s murder, but that Israelis and Jews would still visit, build ties and invest in the Gulf country.
“There is no way to stop this relationship and this cooperation,” said Kara, who is not Jewish but is a member of Israel’s Druze minority.
Members of the Jewish community said informal synagogues in Dubai were closed due to security concerns after the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, where Jews were congregating instead of praying at home.
Dubai, the UAE’s largest city and commercial hub, has no official synagogue, but a UAE government-sanctioned synagogue remains open in Abu Dhabi. There are no official figures on the number of Jews or Israelis living in the UAE. Jewish groups estimate there are several thousand.
