(Bloomberg) -- The United Arab Emirates said three people arrested for the murder of an Israeli-Moldovan rabbi in the Gulf country are from Uzbekistan.
The men — two 28-year-olds and one 33-year-old — were detained by UAE authorities over the weekend after the discovery of the body of Zvi Kogan, who went missing on Thursday.
“The relevant security authorities have initiated preliminary investigations with the three perpetrators arrested for the murder,” state news agency WAM said on Monday. That’s “in preparation for referring them to the Public Prosecution for further investigation.”
The killing — the details of which the UAE hasn’t been made public — shocked the Israeli government. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it an “abhorrent act of anti-Semitic terrorism” and said Israel “will deal with these murderers, and those who dispatched them, to the fullest extent of the law.”
Several Israeli media outlets, citing anonymous officials, initially suggested the killers were linked to Iran. On Monday, Iran’s embassy in the UAE denied Tehran was involved in any way. The UAE hasn’t said the suspects were acting on behalf of any state.
Calls to the Uzbek Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs weren’t answered.
Israel’s government has reiterated its recommendation that citizens avoid non-essential travel to the UAE. The two countries normalized diplomatic relations in 2020 as part of the US-brokered Abraham Accords.
While the UAE has continued its working relationship with the Israeli government since the war in Gaza erupted last year, there’s widespread anger in the country over the deaths of Palestinian civilians.
The UAE has a small Israeli population. Trade, investment and tourism ties between the countries grew rapidly from 2020, though that trend slowed after Hamas’ attack on Israel in October 2023 and the subsequent war in Gaza.
The White House said Kogan’s killing was “an assault” on the UAE and “its rejection of violent extremism across the board.”
“We commend the rapid efforts of UAE authorities” in finding the suspects, the US National Security Council said on Sunday.
Kogan, 28, had been living in the UAE capital of Abu Dhabi as an emissary of Chabad-Lubavitch, a Jewish organization. He worked on “establishing and expanding Jewish life” in the UAE, including making kosher food widely available, according to a Chabad website.
The UAE said he entered the country as a Moldovan citizen.
--With assistance from Kateryna Kadabashy.
(Updates with more detail.)
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