UAE parades three blindfolded Uzbeks suspected of killing Israeli Rabbi Zvi Kogan after Netanyahu condemned ‘abhorrent anti-Semitic terrorist attack’

Three men suspected of kidnapping and murdering an Israeli-Moldovan rabbi in the United Arab Emirates have been arrested and paraded before the media.

The UAE Ministry of Interior released a statement identifying the men, two of whom were 28 years old and the third 33 years old – all from Uzbekistan – and released images showing each of the three men handcuffed and could be seen blindfolded.

The investigation by Emirati authorities continues, the statement said, without saying whether the men – named Azizi Kamilovic, Olimboy Tohirovich and Makhmudjon Abdurakhim – have been charged.

The body of the rabbi, Zvi Kogan, a 28-year-old who lived and worked in the UAE, was discovered yesterday.

He was reported missing on Thursday and an Israeli official said Kogan was last seen in Dubai.

Emirati authorities have not said whether they have established a motive, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said it was a “repugnant anti-Semitic terrorist act” and an Israeli official has said it is believed Kogan was targeted because he is Jewish was.

Zvi Kogan, an Israeli rabbi, stands outside a supermarket in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, November 18, 2024

A statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Israel “will act by all means to seek justice from the criminals responsible for his death.”

The alleged killing has shocked the UAE’s Jewish community, which is estimated to number several thousand.

According to local authorities, Kogan was a resident of the UAE and also a Moldovan citizen.

He lived in the UAE for several years and worked with the New York-based Orthodox Jewish Chabad movement, which was involved in outreach to the Jewish community.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog echoed Netanyahu’s statement, calling Kogan’s murder a “despicable anti-Semitic attack” that he said showed “the inhumanity of the enemies of the Jewish people.”

Herzog added in a statement that the killing “would not stop us from growing thriving (Jewish) communities in the UAE or anywhere else.”

Ayoob Kara, a former Israeli minister involved in promoting ties with Middle Eastern countries, called the killing “a surprise.”

Speaking outside a kosher market in Dubai, which he said was managed by Kogan and which was closed on Sunday, Kara said: “Everything is beautiful here, everything is under control here.”

He further speculated that entities from Iran may have been involved in the murder. Tehran later denied any involvement.

Israeli authorities are participating in the investigation, an Israeli official confirmed yesterday.

An Israeli official, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity this morning, said Kogan’s body could be repatriated later today.

According to local authorities, Kogan was a resident of the UAE and also a Moldovan citizen

The United Arab Emirates said Sunday it has arrested three suspects in the killing of an Israeli rabbi, which Israel has called an anti-Semitic attack (stock image)

Ayoob Kara (pictured), a former Israeli minister involved in promoting ties with Middle Eastern countries, called the killing “a surprise”

Meanwhile, the Moldovan Foreign Ministry said it is in contact with UAE authorities.

Uzbekistan’s embassy in Abu Dhabi did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment from Reuters.

UAE Ambassador to Washington Yousef Al Otaiba has said Kogan’s killing was a crime against the Gulf Arab country, which is located on the Arabian Peninsula and across the Gulf from Iran.

The Israeli and Jewish community in the UAE has become more visible since 2020, when the Gulf Arab country established official ties with Israel under a US-brokered deal.

The UAE has maintained ties with Israel during the 13-month war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

But Israelis and Jews have been less visible in public since the deadly Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel that sparked the war that sparked protests worldwide.