In brief
The United Arab Emirates has announced the arrest of three Uzbek nationals suspected of being involved in the kidnapping and murder of Zvi Kogan, a rabbi from Israel and Moldova. This shocking incident has prompted Israeli authorities to label it as antisemitic terrorism, bringing safety concerns to the forefront for the minority Jewish community residing in the region.
On Monday, the U.A.E. interior ministry confirmed the identities of the detained individuals: Olimboy Tohirovich (28), Makhmudjon Abdurakhim (28), and Azizbek Kamilovich (33), and released images showing them blindfolded and handcuffed. Investigators continue to probe the circumstances surrounding the crime and its motives. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned Kogan's murder, characterizing it as “an abhorrent antisemitic terrorist attack.”Rabbi Kogan, aged 28, was reported missing last Thursday while last seen in Dubai. His vehicle was discovered abandoned in Al Ain, a city bordering Abu Dhabi. His body was subsequently located on Sunday. As a prominent member of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, Rabbi Kogan was actively involved in community life and helped run a kosher supermarket in Dubai.Israeli officials expressed hope that forensic examinations of Kogan's remains could be concluded soon, allowing for his return to Jerusalem for burial. The investigation indicates that Kogan’s visibility within the Jewish community may have made him a target for this act of violence.Since the UAE established diplomatic relations with Israel through the 2020 Abraham Accords, there has been an increase in the Israeli and Jewish population in the area. The Emirates has sought to showcase itself as a multi-faith society, having built its first synagogue in decades in February 2023 as part of an interfaith complex.The Emirates’ ambassador to the U.S., Yousef al-Otaiba, condemned the act, describing Kogan’s murder as “a crime against the U.A.E.”
