25/11/2024–|Last updated: 11/25/202406:11 AM (Mecca time)
On Monday, Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper quoted sources as saying that current indicators show that those who killed the Israeli rabbi – of Moldovan origin – Zvi Kogan did not act on the instructions of Iran.
According to the newspaper, preliminary investigations indicate that the operation may have been carried out by a group of Uzbeks, in exchange for a large sum of money.
The sources confirm to the newspaper that the perpetrators did not act on orders from Iran, although the method of implementation is similar to the way Tehran works with what it described as mercenary networks in previous attacks.
The Iranian embassy in the UAE strongly denied any involvement by Tehran in the incident.
Israel raised the security alert level in its diplomatic missions around the world for fear of similar attacks.
Yesterday, Sunday, the Emirates News Agency said that the authorities arrested 3 suspects in the killing of a person residing in the country named Zvi Kogan, who held Moldovan citizenship, according to the identification papers with which he entered the UAE.
The agency said that the Ministry of Interior announced, in a statement, that it was able in record time to arrest the perpetrators of the incident, and stressed that it “will use all available legal authorities to deal severely and without leniency with anyone who dares to carry out any actions or actions that seek to destabilize the situation.” society or threaten its security.
Ministry of Interior: In record time, the competent Emirati authorities arrested the perpetrators in the incident of the killing of the Moldovan citizen and confirmed that the UAE is disobedient to anyone who dares to disturb the security of society.
The Ministry of Interior announced that the competent UAE authorities were able, in record time, to arrest the perpetrators of an incident… pic.twitter.com/zKoUvV7Om9
– Ministry of Interior (@moiuae) November 24, 2024
Commenting on the incident, the Emirati ambassador to Washington, Yousef Al-Otaiba, said that the UAE mourns Rabbi Kogan, and believes that “his killing was not just a crime in the Emirates, but rather a crime against it. It was an attack on our homeland, our values, and our vision.”
Yesterday, Sunday, Israel announced that the body of Rabbi Zvi Kogan, who had been missing since Thursday, had been found in the United Arab Emirates.
Netanyahu’s office and the Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a joint statement, “The intelligence and security authorities of the UAE found the body of Zvi Kogan, who has been missing since Thursday.” The statement described Kogan’s killing as a “heinous, anti-Semitic terrorist act,” as he put it.
An Israeli Foreign Ministry official told Reuters news agency last night that at this stage they do not know who is responsible for the killing, nor the identities of the suspects who were arrested in the United Arab Emirates.
However, the official confirmed that Israel believes the attackers identified Kogan at the Dubai supermarket where he was last seen. Kogan’s body will be flown to Israel today, and he will be buried on Tuesday.
Assistant Chief Rabbi
Zvi Kogan is one of the representatives of the Jewish Chabad movement in the Emirates, and holds Moldovan citizenship in addition to Israeli citizenship.
According to the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, Kogan (28 years old) was officially residing in the Emirates as an assistant to the chief Jewish rabbi in Abu Dhabi.
Chabad is one of the extremist organizations that does not believe in the right to exist for the Palestinians, calls for their expulsion from occupied Palestine, and opposes any agreement that could give them part of the lands.
In its coverage of the event, Reuters quoted former Israeli politician Ayoub Kara, a member of the ruling right-wing Likud Party, that Kogan’s body was found in the city of Al Ain, but it is not yet clear whether he was killed there or elsewhere.
Reuters indicated that the Israeli authorities re-issued a recommendation advising against traveling to the Emirates unless necessary, and said that visitors there should limit their movements, stay in safe areas, and avoid visiting places associated with Israel and Jews.
Reuters said that the presence of the Israeli and Jewish community in the Emirates has become public since 2020, when the Gulf state became the first Arab country to establish official relations with Israel in 30 years under an agreement brokered by the United States in 2020, within the framework of the so-called (Abraham Accords).