UAE Authority Arrests Three People Allegedly Related To Israeli Rabi Murder

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Home Affairs announced the arrest of three people linked to the alleged murder of Israelis.

The ministry's statement did not provide details about the suspects or say whether they had been indicted, but said all legal powers would be used "to respond decisively and without relief against any acts or attempts that threaten public stability".

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office has denounced the murder of Wednesday Zvi Kogan (28) as "detroversy antisemit terrorist acts", saying Israel would do everything it could to bring those responsible to justice.

Kogan is a UAE resident and also a Moldovan citizen, according to local authorities. He works with the New York-based Orthodox Jewish Chabad movement.

He was first reported missing on Thursday last week. His body was later found on Sunday.

Emirati's ambassador to Washington Yousef Al Otaiba said Kogan's murder was a crime against the UAE and "an attack on our homeland, on our values, and on our vision."

"We support peaceful coexistence. We reject all forms of extremism and fanaticism," he said in a statement released on social media X.

Emirati authorities have not said whether they have set a motive, but Israeli officials say Kogan was targeted because he was Jewish, without providing further details.

An Israeli Foreign Ministry official said all Israeli agencies were involved in the investigation and it believed Kogan was last seen at a Kosher supermarket in Dubai.

Kogan's body was found in the city of Al Ain in the Emirates, which borders Oman, although it is unclear whether he was killed there or elsewhere, former Israeli politician Ayob Kara told Reuters in Dubai.

Kara said there were indications that investigators suspected Iran's involvement.

The Iranian Embassy in the UAE said it "firmly rejected the allegation of Iran's involvement in the killing of this man".

Israel has again issued recommendations to its citizens to avoid non-essential travel to the UAE and says those who are now there should minimize movement, stay in safe areas, and avoid visiting Israeli-related places and the Jewish population.

It is known that the Israeli and Jewish communities in the UAE have been increasingly visible since 2020, when the UAE became the most prominent Arab country in 30 years in formal relations with Israel under the US-brokered agreement, dubbed the Abrahamic Agreement.

The UAE has maintained such relations during the Israel-Hamas war for 13 months in Gaza.

Kara said the UAE Jewish community was "surprised" by Kogan's assassination, but Israelis and Jews would still visit, build relationships, and invest in the Gulf nation.

"There is no way to stop this relationship and cooperation," said Kara, who is not a Jew but a minority member of Druze in Israel.