Israel says UAE authorities found Rabbi Zvi Kogan dead: ‘Antisemitic terrorism’

Israeli officials on Sunday confirmed the death of an Abu Dhabi rabbi who had been missing since Thursday.

“The intelligence and security authorities of the UAE have found the body of Zvi Kogan, who had been missing since Thursday, November 21, 2024,” the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on X. “The Israeli mission Abu Dhabi has been in contact with the family since the beginning of the event and continues to help them during this difficult time;

“The killing of Zvi Kogan, of blessed memory, is a heinous act of antisemitic terrorism. The State of Israel will use all means and will deal with the criminals responsible for his death to the full extent of the law,” the statement added.

RABI WAS AFRAID TO BE CAPTURED, HE WAS KILLED BY TERRORISTS AFTER THE ATTACK, DISAPPOINTED THE INVESTIGATION.

Rabbi Zvi Kogan was a representative of the Chabad Lubavitch organization, the most prominent and conservative branch of Hasidic Judaism based in Brooklyn’s Crown Heights neighborhood in New York City.

The 28-year-old suspect was a resident of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates when he went missing on Thursday. He is a dual citizen of Moldova and Israel.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Kogan worked as a recruiter and was “interested in volunteering and working [his] society.”

A man walks past Rimon Market, a Kosher grocery store owned by the late Rabbi Zvi Kogan, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell)

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The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office announced its investigation into the unusual disappearance on Saturday. At the time, the statement said the disappearance appeared to be related to a “terrorist incident” but did not elaborate.

The United Arab Emirates’ Ministry of Interior confirmed it was investigating Kogan’s disappearance, but described his nationality as “Moldovan.”

Rabbi Levi Duchman leads morning prayers on the roof of the UAE Jewish Community Center on March 22, 2021, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (Andrea DiCenzo/Getty Images)

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Rimon Market, a kosher grocery store that was owned by Kogan on Dubai’s busy Al Wasl Road, closed on Sunday, according to the Associated Press. It was the target of the anti-Israel protests.

Kogan’s wife, Rivky, is an American citizen living with him in the UAE. He is the nephew of Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg, who was killed in 2008 in Mumbai.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.