Rabbi in UAE Murdered in Alleged Antisemitic Terror Incident

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A rabbi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was killed after he was reported missing on November 21st, with Israeli authorities saying he might have been kidnapped before he was found dead.

Emirati authorities announced on November 25th that they arrested three Uzbek nationals for killing a 28-year-old Israeli-Moldovan rabbi, Zvi Kogan. The UAE’s interior ministry identified the suspects as 28-year-old Olimboy Tohirovich, 28-year-old Makhmudjon Abdurakhim, and 33-year-old Azizbek Kamilovich.

The ministry said they would use “all legal powers to respond decisively and without leniency to any actions or attempts that threaten societal stability,” adding that the preliminary investigation into the suspects is “in preparation for referring them to the public prosecution for further investigation.”

The UAE’s state-run Emirates News Agency posted images of the three suspects wearing prison uniforms and flip-flops with blindfolds covering their faces. Although the UAE’s interior ministry did not provide further details about the suspects or offer any motive for Kogan’s murder, an official from Israel’s foreign ministry said Kogan had simply been “killed because of who he was.”

While acknowledging Kogan’s disappearance, the Emirates News Agency did not mention his reported Israeli citizenship, only referring to him as Moldovan. It wasn’t also evident if the three Uzbek nationals accused of killing him had legal representation or sought consular assistance in the UAE. The Uzbek Consulate in Dubai did not respond to requests for a comment regarding the incident or the suspects.

Citing unnamed security officials, Israel news media reports allege that the Uzbek nationals arrested by Emirati authorities were involved in Kogan’s murder. Uzbek, as well as transnational criminal gangs, have been hired in Iranian plots targeting Iranians and others. 

Even though the Emirati government has not mentioned any Iranian involvement, Iranian intelligence services have carried out past kidnappings in the UAE, and Western officials believe Iran runs intelligence operations in the UAE and keeps tabs on the hundreds of thousands of Iranians living in the country. 

Iran’s Embassy in the UAE responded to accusations of the Iranian regime’s involvement, saying it “categorically rejects the allegations of Iran’s involvement in the murder of this individual.”

Israeli officials strongly condemned Kogan’s murder, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issuing a statement saying, “The State of Israel will use all means at its disposal to bring the criminals responsible for his death to justice.”

Israeli President Isaac Herzog also condemned the killing and thanked authorities in the UAE for “their swift action” in apprehending the suspects. 

Kogan, who is also a member of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement and served as the organization’s emissary to the UAE, ran a small kosher grocery store called The Rimon Market in Dubai, where a growing Israeli community flocked for tourism and business after the UAE and Israel normalized diplomatic ties in 2020. 

The UAE, along with other Arab nations such as Bahrain and Morocco, have normalized diplomatic relations with Israel as part of the Abraham Accords in 2020. Despite the ongoing tensions between Israel and Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, which stoked anger among Muslims, Emiratis, and other Arab nationals in the UAE, the agreement has held through, and the UAE maintains its diplomatic relations with Israel.

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