Three people were arrested in the UAE for killing Rabbi Zvi Kogan, who was an Israeli-Moldovan Chabad emissary

Three people have been caught in the UAE in connection with the death of Rabbi Zvi Kogan.

The United Arab Emirates’ Interior Ministry said on Sunday that three people were arrested in connection with the death of Israeli-Moldovan Rabbi Zvi Kogan in the Gulf country.

The suspects’ names and roles in the killing were not given in more detail in a statement from the ministry. However, the ministry did say that they would use “all legal powers to respond decisively and without leniency to any actions or attempts that threaten societal stability.”

Kogan, who was 28 years old, disappeared on Thursday in Dubai, where he ran a kosher grocery shop. He was working for the Orthodox Jewish group Chabad in the UAE, which helps thousands of Jewish visitors and residents live a Jewish life.

Israeli officials said early Sunday that his body was found in the city of Al Ain in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, which is about 150 kilometers (93 miles) from Abu Dhabi and borders Oman.

It was said that Kogan’s car had been left behind in Al Ain. It also said that there were signs of a fight inside the car, but it didn’t give any sources. A story said that officials think a group of Uzbek citizens sent by Iran attacked the rabbi and then ran away to Turkey.

Israel has said that the killing was an act of racist terrorism.

In a statement on X, Yousef Al Otaiba, the UAE’s ambassador to the US, said that the US “mourns for Rabbi Zvi Kogan.” No one should have to die like that. Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and neighborhood.Not only was his death illegal in the UAE, it was also illegal in the UAE. It was an attack on our country, our beliefs, and our ideals.

A representative from Israel’s foreign ministry told reporters that Kogan’s body would probably be brought back to Israel on Monday.

The UAE said in a statement that after Kogan’s family reported him missing, a probe began and people were arrested “in record time.” It said that when the review was over, the full results would be made public.

There will be no attacks on the people who live in, visit, or work in the United Arab Emirates, the statement said. It also said that “all security agencies work around the clock to protect the stability of society and ensure the sustainability of the highest levels of security and safety that have been established since the founding of the state.”

The UAE said in a statement that Kogan had come to the UAE with a Moldovan visa and was living there. The statement was released by the state news agency.

The killing was slammed by President Isaac Herzog, who thanked the Emirati government for “their swift action.” They “will work tirelessly to bring the perpetrators to justice,” he said.

The murder was called a “horrific crime against all those who stand for peace, tolerance, and coexistence” by the White House late Sunday night.

A spokesman for National Security, Sean Savett, said in a statement, “It was also an attack on the UAE and its refusal to accept any kind of violent extremism.” He said the US was in touch with the governments of the UAE and Israel to offer its help. The spokesperson also said that the UAE did a great job of quickly arresting a number of suspects and that those guilty should be held entirely responsible.

The Chabad-Lubavitch movement said in a message on X earlier Sunday that Kogan had been “killed by terrorists.”

According to Chabad, the UAE and the other countries in the region will work together to bring the criminals to justice and hold everyone responsible for this heinous act. Chabad also asked all the countries where its representatives work to make sure that terror doesn’t find a safe haven within their borders.

Israel will do everything it can to bring those guilty to justice, according to the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The killing was called a “heinous antisemitic terrorist act.”

The embassy of Iran in Abu Dhabi told reporters on Sunday that Tehran “categorically rejects the allegations of Iran’s involvement in the murder of this person.”

Kogan had dual citizenship in both Israel and Moldova. He was said to have served in the Israel Defense Forces’ Givati Brigade.

Under the Abraham Accords, which were arranged by the US, Israel and the UAE normalized their relationship in late 2020. Since then, he had been a part of the Abu Dhabi Chabad group.

Chabad says Kogan worked with Chief Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Duchman to make Jewish life in the UAE bigger. They made sure there was plenty of kosher food and opened the country’s first Jewish education center.

Kogan owned and ran a Kosher food store on Dubai’s busy Al Wasl Road called Rimon Market. It was closed on Sunday. Pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel protesters have gone after the store online as the wars have shook the area. Both the front and back doors of the market didn’t seem to have their mezuzahs on them.