The UAE law enforcement released Monday morning the photos of three citizens of Uzbekistan it said were involved in the abduction and murder of Rabbi Zvi Kogan.
RABBI ZVI KOGAN FOUND DEAD IN UAE: Israeli-Moldovan Rabbi Zvi Kogan (28 years old) was discovered murdered over the weekend in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), prompting international concern. He was an Israeli-Moldovan dual citizen. His wife, Rivky Spielman, is a U.S. citizen. They married in 2022 and moved to Abu Dhabi, UAE’s capital. He was the emissary of the New York-based Chabad-Lubavitch movement to the UAE where he played a key role in expanding Jewish life. The Jewish community in the UAE numbers several thousand. An official Emirati statement identified the three suspects as citizens of Uzbekistan: Olimpi Toirovich (28 years old), Makhmudjon Abdurakhim (28 years old), and Azizbek Kamlovich (33 years old).
The late Rabbi Zvi Kogan managed the Rimon Market kosher store in Dubai
Rabbi Kogan Managed A Kosher Store in Dubai called Rimon Market [see the website and Instagram page]. With a several thousand-strong Jewish community in the UAE, and numbers rising thanks to UAE’s reputation for safety and security before this incident, Dubai had seen a rise in the numbers of Kosher restaurants and supermarkets.
THIS IS A SHOCKING INTERNATIONAL INCIDENT that could have major implications, depending on what the probe shows. Former Israeli Druze politician Ayoob Kara, speaking to Reuters in Dubai, accused Iran of being involved. There are unconfirmed reports the three suspects were captured in neighboring Oman and were extradited to the UAE, but we are going with the official announcements of the Emirati government, whose law enforcement is trusted by the United States and Israel. Any confirmation of international links of the suspected murderers can have serious ramifications amid the situation in the region.
Iran Denies Involvement Amid Accusations: While some Israeli officials suspect Iranian involvement, Iran’s embassy in the UAE has denied any connection to the incident. Iranian media outlets that speak for the regime strongly rejected Iran’s involvement but used the opportunity to disparage UAE’s relations with Israel.
Israel Condemns ‘Antisemitic Terror Act’:Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced the murder as a “heinous antisemitic terror incident,” vowing to bring the perpetrators to justice. Israeli media sources have suggested that intelligence and law enforcement from the UAE, Israel, the United States, and Moldova are involved in the investigations, though no one formally confirmed this.
Rabbi Kogan’s Role In The UAE Jewish Community: Serving as an emissary for the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, Rabbi Kogan was instrumental in promoting Jewish life in the UAE, including managing a kosher grocery store in Dubai. Israeli media and intelligence sources say there are indications Palestinian groupscould be suspected of involvement.
Rabbi Kogan’s Saudi friend Loay Al-Sharif posted a screenshot of their last conversation, with this touching remark: “Zvi told me he was living the dream of Jews and Muslims coming together—this is how he and the Jewish community in the UAE felt.” Jared Kushner, President-elect Trump’s son-in-law, is donating $1 million to the Chabad of UAE and to support the vibrant Jewish communities in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. And businessmen Avi Kaner revealed that Jewish communities in the Gulf have held weekly Kabbalat Shabbat prayers for Gulf Arab leaders who have pioneered a policy shift in the region on coexistence with Israel and the Jews.
Heightened Security Concerns For Jewish Communities: The tragic event has raised safety concerns among Jewish residents and visitors in the UAE, leading to increased security measures and advisories.
INTERNATIONAL REACTIONS AND CONDOLENCES: Global leaders and organizations have expressed their condolences and condemned the act, highlighting the need for unity against antisemitism.
The U.S. National Security Council condemned the murder “in the strongest terms,” describing it as a “horrific crime against all those who stand for peace, tolerance, and coexistence.” The statement said the murder is also an “an assault as well on UAE and its rejection of violent extremism across the board.”
UAE’s Washington Envoy, Ambassador Al Otaiba, issued a strongly-worded statement describing the incident as more than just a crime on his country’s soil. Posting on the Embassy’s official account on X/Twitter, Amb. Otaiba said: “Zvi Kogan’s murder was more than a crime in the UAE – it was a crime against the UAE. It was an attack on our homeland, on our values and on our vision.” He added: “In the UAE, we welcome everyone. We embrace peaceful coexistence. We reject extremism and fanaticism of every kind. We honor ZviKogan’s memory by recommitting ourselves to these values.”
For more detailed information, please refer to the linked sources. Also, read our official statement that describes the wider implications of this incident in the Middle East should a wider plot be confirmed to have caused it.
