Three people have been taken into custody by UAE authorities in relation to the death of an Israeli rabbi who was killed in what Israel claims was a “antisemitic act of terror.”
According to local officials, Zvi Kogan, a representative of Chabad, a Hasidic Jewish religious community with communities, synagogues, and other institutions throughout numerous nations, was discovered dead on Sunday.
He is also a citizen of Moldova. His disappearance began Thursday afternoon. According to Chabad’s website, he was kidnapped from Dubai, one of the seven emirates that comprise the United Arab Emirates.
CNN was informed by an Israeli source that Kogan’s body had landed in Israel on Monday.
Three Uzbek nationals were detained in connection with Kogan’s murder, and the UAE’s Ministry of Interior announced Monday that it had begun legal action against them.
In order to “quickly take the necessary measures to uncover the details, circumstances, and motives of the incident,” the authorities pledged to act.
Israel will “use all means at its disposal to bring the murderers of Kogan and those who sent them to justice,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged on Sunday.
Netanyahu said that “the murder of an Israeli citizen and Chabad emissary is a heinous, antisemitic act of terror” and offered his “heartfelt condolences” to the Kogan family.
However, an official from Israel’s foreign ministry told CNN that the government will take advantage of the incident to deepen its ties with the Arab country and will not let Kogan’s murder ruin them.
The Israeli official declared that the killers were “enemies of those who are striving to have more relations” between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, adding, “If anything, we will only utilize this event to further and deepen our cooperation with our Emirati colleagues.”
The insider stated that Israel is collaborating with UAE officials to ascertain whether additional individuals are involved and whether “outside influences” played a part in the murder inquiry, but he declined to provide specifics.
Israeli officials have reissued travel advisories for citizens, advising against unnecessary travel and advising travelers to limit their movement and remain in safe locations.
The official who spoke to CNN emphasized that this was merely a reminder of previously issued information and not a fresh travel alert.
Collaboration with other Chabad emissaries
Kogan established and spread Judaism in the United Arab Emirates in collaboration with other Chabad emissaries.
According to the official website of the Chabad movement, he helped spread the availability of kosher food and established the first Jewish education center in the area.
The US-born wife of Kogan, Rivky, lost her uncle, Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg, in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.
In recent years, ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates have improved. Through the US-brokered Abraham Accords, the United Arab Emirates became the most prominent Arab country to open relations with Israel in decades in 2020.
However, according to Reuters, following the October 7 assaults, Israelis and Jews have become less visible in public.
According to Jewish community members who spoke to the agency, security concerns led to the closure of informal synagogues in Dubai following the bombings.