Israeli Rabbi Missing in UAE Found Dead... Three Suspects Arrested

An Israeli rabbi (Jewish clergy) who went missing in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was found dead on the 24th (local time). UAE authorities have arrested suspects.

According to CNN and others, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced in a statement on the same day that the body of Rabbi Tzvi Koogan was found. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs classified this as an "anti-Semitic terror" and confirmed the arrest of three suspects. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on the same day, "Israel will use all means to bring Koogan's murderers and those who sent them to justice," calling it an "atrocious and anti-Semitic terror act."

Koogan, a member of the ultra-Orthodox Jewish sect 'Chabad Lubavitch,' had been serving in the UAE but went missing on the afternoon of the 21st, three days prior. According to the Chabad website, he established the first Jewish educational center in the region. CNN noted that there is a small Jewish community numbering in the thousands within the UAE, and that the UAE was the first Arab country to normalize relations with Israel under the Abraham Accords mediated by the United States in 2020.

Details such as the suspects' identities and the circumstances of the murder have not been disclosed. However, Israeli local media reported that UAE authorities suspect that forces linked to Iran are behind the killing.

Meanwhile, on the same day, Israeli authorities urged their citizens to avoid unnecessary travel.