Israel says a rabbi who went missing in the United Arab Emirates has been killed, and has vowed to find his killers.
“The killing of Zvi Kogan is a crime-fighting terrorist incident. The State of Israel will work with all its power to punish the criminals who killed him,” said the Prime Minister’s office following the news on Sunday that the rabbi’s body had been found.
Three people have been arrested in connection with this incident, the UAE Ministry of Interior said on Sunday night.
Rabbi Kogan, who is a representative of the Orthodox Jewish organization, Chabad Lubavitch, has been missing from Dubai since Thursday, prompting an investigation by the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad and the UAE authorities.
Israeli officials have been in contact with the family of the Israeli-Moldovan national since his disappearance, the Israeli statement continued.
The discovery of Zvi Kogan’s body comes after his car was found an hour away from his home.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog also called his killing a “heinous, anti-Semitic attack”.
Mossad investigators are busy finding out who is responsible for the rabbi’s death.
Chabad is a religious foundation that seeks to build links with non-affiliated and secular Jews or other Jewish sects. The group’s branch in the UAE supports thousands of Jewish visitors and residents, according to its website.
Rabbi Kogan, 28, worked with other Chabad delegates to “establish and expand Jewish life in the Emirates”, the organization says. He also managed a large kosher store in Dubai.
Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky, chairman of Chabad Lubavitch said: “We hope that the UAE will cooperate with countries in the region so that the perpetrators will face the law, and will hold accountable all those involved in this heinous act.”
The Israeli government’s tourism advisory service warns citizens to visit the UAE only for “essential reasons”, as they say there is “terrorist activity” in the UAE, which constitutes a “real danger to Israelis living/visiting the country”.
Abu Dhabi established official relations with Israel under the agreement made by the US, known as the Abraham Accords.
It has maintained relations during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
Additional reporting by Ruth Comerford.
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