, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing an anonymous source familiar with the matter.){kind=link}
Turkey extradited three Uzbek nationals accused of killing Israeli-Moldovan Rabbi Zvi Kogan in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing an anonymous source familiar with the matter.
The suspects, identified as Olimpi Tohirovic, 28; Mahmudjun Abdurrahim, 28; and Azizbek Kamilovich, 33 are accused of killing Kogan, a rabbi affiliated with the Jewish Chabad movement, who was found dead on Sunday in the Emirati city of Al Ain. Emirati authorities announced the arrest of the three suspects over the weekend, and on Monday, they named the individuals, showing images of them in handcuffs, with their faces covered by black masks.
Kogan, 28, had lived in Abu Dhabi with his wife, where he served as a Jewish community leader, working to support Jewish residents and visitors in the UAE through the Orthodox Jewish group Chabad.
When he had not been seen or heard from in Dubai for some time, it prompted a search on Thursday by Israeli and Emirati authorities. His body was eventually found in Al Ain, about 150 kilometers from Abu Dhabi. Emirati officials said Kogan’s disappearance and subsequent death prompted a swift investigation in collaboration with Israeli security agencies, which included Israel’s Mossad spy agency.
Mossad confirms terror attack; preliminary findings suggest 3 Uzbek operatives tailed Rabbi Zvi Kogan after he left his grocery store, killing him and fleeing to Turkey; Israeli intelligence agencies expected to coordinate with Turkish authorities to pursue leads…
— Matthew Levitt (@Levitt_Matt) November 25, 2024
The Wall Street Journal reported that the suspects were arrested in Turkey, having fled there after the incident. Emirati officials did not initially disclose the arrest locations, but a Channel 12 report on Monday confirmed that the operation to capture the suspects spanned multiple countries. Turkish authorities likely cooperated with Mossad in capturing and extraditing the suspects back to the UAE, according to Mustafa Enes Esen, an expert on Turkish foreign policy and Middle Eastern affairs.
The UAE has a small but growing Jewish community since normalizing relations with Israel in 2020. Israeli officials have said they suspected a connection between the suspects and Iranian state actors, although no direct link has yet been established.
Kogan’s death is being described by Israel as an “act of antisemitic terrorism.” His body was flown to Israel on Monday for burial at the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, following a procession from Kfar Chabad in central Israel.
The UAE, which prides itself on tolerance and an open business environment for foreigners, stated through Interior Ministry officials that they were determined to uncover all details, motives and circumstances of Kogan’s death. Israeli officials advise Jewish travelers in the region to exercise caution amid potential threats from Iran-linked actors.
The UAE’s official statement made no reference to Israeli nationality, identifying Kogan as Moldovan, signaling an awareness of the diplomatic sensitivities amid Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza, for which Tel Aviv stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, are sought by the International Criminal Court over war crimes on accusations of deliberately targeting civilian population in Gaza as well as using starvation as a weapon of war.