The United Arab Emirates has confirmed that the three people who were arrested for their involvement in the killing of Israeli-Moldovan rabbi Tzvi Kogan are from Uzbekistan, the state news agency WAM reported on Monday.
According to the report, the authorities arrested three men: Olimpi Tohirovic, aged 28; Mahmoud John Abdul Rahim, aged 28; and Azizi Kamilovic, aged 33.
They have been referred to the Public Prosecution to complete the investigation, the statement added.
The UAE had on Sunday confirmed Kogan’s murder, saying three suspects were arrested.
In its Sunday statement, the interior ministry described Kogan as “a Moldovan national according to his identification documents at the time of entry into the UAE, where he lived as a resident.”
It said the man’s family had filed a missing person’s report, prompting the formation of “a specialized search and investigation team” which led to discovery of the body, and to identification of the suspects.
Israel had on Sunday described the incident as a “heinous antisemitic terror incident,” with a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office saying Israel “will act with all means to seek justice with the criminals responsible for his death.”
In an earlier message on X, the Chabad-Lubavitch movement to which Kogan belonged expressed its “great pain” alongside a photo of the rabbi, adding that he had been “murdered by terrorists after being abducted on Thursday.”
Kogan went missing on Thursday, and there were suspicions he had been kidnapped.
The Chabad Lubavitch movement, a prominent and highly observant branch of Orthodox Judaism, said Kogan was last seen in Dubai. A video circulating on social media showed him earlier in the week at a Kosher grocery store in the city-state.
Al Arabiya
Comments About This Article
Please fill the fields below.