The day after the discovery of Tzvi Kogan’s lifeless body, the investigation progressed. The three suspects arrested after the murder of this Israeli-Moldovan rabbi, whose remains were found on Sunday in the United Arab Emirates, are of Uzbek nationality, reported the official WAM agency. This crime was described as a “heinous act of anti-Semitic terrorism” by the Israeli government.
Three people were arrested after the murder of the young 28-year-old rabbi, who had disappeared since Thursday in the Emirates where he was based. He was found dead on Sunday by Emirati authorities, sparking outrage in Israel. “The competent authorities of the security services revealed the identities of the three people who carried out the murder and who are of Uzbek nationality: Olimbay Tohirovich (28 years old), Makhmudjon Abdurakhim (28 years old) and Azizbek Kamilovich (33 years old),” WAM wrote, citing a press release from the Interior Ministry.
The national agency also released images of the three suspects, their faces blurred, but it did not specify whether they had been charged, according to the Washington Post. The day before, the same Emirati ministry had indicated in a press release relayed by WAM that “the Emirati authorities arrested in record time the three perpetrators of the murder of Zvi (which can also be spelled Tzvi) Kogan,” without providing details on the suspects until then.
“Despicable anti-Semitic terrorist attack”
Israeli media had already claimed that the rabbi had been killed by three Uzbek nationals. Investigators claimed that the young man had been followed by “three agents from Uzbekistan”, according to the Ynet website, while the Haaretz newspaper reported that Israeli security sources also spoke of three Uzbek suspects, who allegedly fled to Turkey . According to the Washington Post, nationals of the Central Asian country have already been recruited in plots orchestrated by Tehran, in particular against dissidents.
An Israeli Foreign Ministry official said she hoped the remains would be repatriated Monday for burial in Israel. “Israel will use all means at its disposal to ensure that justice is done and that those responsible for his death are held accountable for their actions,” the Israeli government assured in a statement. In a video broadcast by his services during a Council of Ministers, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also denounced a “despicable anti-Semitic terrorist attack” and promised that his country “will use all means and deal with the murderers of Tzvi Kogan and those who sent them.
The Mossad, the powerful Israeli foreign intelligence service, has opened an investigation, Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Saturday, announcing the disappearance of the rabbi. He was already mentioning the “terrorist” idea, which he did not, however, substantiate.
Married for six months according to Israeli media, Rabbi Tzvi Kogan was an emissary of Chabad Lubavitch, an ultra-Orthodox Hasidic movement with global missionary commitment aimed at strengthening Jewish identity and bringing Jews closer to their faith. Until now extremely discreet in this affair, the Emirati authorities have constantly presented Tzvi Kogan as a Moldovan citizen, hiding his Israeli nationality.
The United Arab Emirates is one of the Arab countries that normalized relations with Israel under the 2020 Abraham Accords, promoted by Donald Trump during his first term in the White House. Israeli authorities, however, renewed the warning to Israelis to avoid all non-essential travel to the Gulf country and advised citizens already there to take additional precautions.
