After being reportedly missing since Thursday, 21 November, an Israeli-Moldovan rabbi, Zvi Kogan, was found dead in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), on Sunday. Israeli officials say the killing is a “heinous antisemitic terrorist attack.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the incident, saying, “Israel will act with all means to seek justice with the criminals responsible for his death.”
Israeli agency Mossad, linked the incident to Iranian surveillance, citing a growing pattern of Iran targeting Israelis abroad. Reports suggest Kogan was being followed by Iranian operatives.
Who is Kogan?
Kogan, 28, was a representative of the Orthodox Jewish Chabad-Lubavitch movement and managed a kosher supermarket in Dubai.
Kogan, member of Chabad’s Abu Dhabi mission since Israel’s normalisation with the UAE in 2020, is a key figure in fostering Jewish community life in the Gulf.
He lived in Abu Dhabi with his wife, Rivky, and had been working to build Jewish community infrastructure in the UAE-including places of worship and kosher certification programs.
UAE assures of Probe into the matter
The Interior Ministry of the UAE assured the public that investigations over the killing are in progress and said more information will be given as soon as the police complete their probe. According to news, the ministry has also arrested three suspects over the killing.
However, the ongoing confrontation between Israel and Hamas has increased security issues. The Israeli government has even warned of potential hazards to Jews and Israelis worldwide, including those in the UAE.
The disappearance and murder of Kogan involved security and intelligence agencies of several countries including Israel and the UAE. Authorities of United Arab Emirates working in partnership with Israeli officials located his body, and suspects were arrested.
