UAE Arrests Three in Connection with Death of Israeli Rabbi in Apparent Antisemitic Terror Attack

The United Arab Emirates has arrested three individuals in connection with the death of Rabbi Zvi Kogan, an Israeli-Moldovan national and Chabad emissary, whose body was discovered on Sunday, CNN reports.

Israeli authorities have condemned the killing as an “antisemitic act of terror.”

Rabbi Kogan, who represented the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, had been missing since Thursday. The UAE’s Ministry of Interior confirmed the discovery of his body and the arrests, stating that it has initiated legal proceedings and will release further details once its investigation concludes. The ministry did not disclose the identities or affiliations of the suspects.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed swift justice, sying that Israel would “use all means at its disposal to bring the murderers of Kogan and those who sent them to justice.” He extended his condolences to Kogan’s family and strongly condemned the killing as a “heinous, antisemitic act of terror.”

Rabbi Kogan played a significant role in establishing and expanding Jewish life in the UAE. According to the Chabad website, he founded the region’s first Jewish education center and worked to increase the availability of kosher food. His wife, Rivky, is a US citizen whose uncle, Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg, was murdered in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.

The UAE, which has a small but growing Jewish community, opened its first purpose-built synagogue, the Abrahamic Family House, last year. However, the October 7 attacks in Israel have reportedly led to a decrease in the public visibility of Israelis and Jews in the UAE. Reuters reports that informal synagogues in Dubai have temporarily closed due to security concerns.

The incident casts a shadow over the improving relations between Israel and the UAE, which normalized ties in 2020 under the Abraham Accords. While the UAE has not explicitly linked the killing to the recent escalation of violence between Israel and Hamas, the timing and the Israeli government’s characterization of the event as an act of terror underscore the potential impact on the burgeoning relationship between the two countries. Israel has issued updated travel advisories for its citizens, recommending against non-essential travel to the UAE and advising those already in the country to minimize movement and remain in secure locations.