In the capital of the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi, Zvi Kogan, a citizen of Israel and Moldova who served as an assistant to the Chief Rabbi of the UAE, has gone missing.The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed his disappearance, reports IPN.
Israeli authorities are treating the incident as a possible terrorist act. The Israeli intelligence agency, Mossad, has launched an investigation in cooperation with local authorities in the UAE.
According to Deutsche Welle, citing Ynet and Walla publications, it is suspected that the rabbi may have been murdered. Anonymous sources from Israeli security services told Ynet that the suspects might have fled to Turkey.
The Walla portal also reports that Kogan was being monitored by Iranian intelligence services.
Haaretz reports that authorities in the UAE have discovered the body of Zvi Kogan. Preliminary findings suggest that Kogan, an emissary of the Chabad movement, was kidnapped and murdered.
"The Israeli mission in Abu Dhabi has been in contact with the family since the beginning of the incident and continues to support them during this difficult time," the PMO and Foreign Affairs Ministry stated. "His family in Israel has also been informed."
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Moldova has been informed, through diplomatic channels, about the case of citizen Zvi Kogan, who holds dual citizenship.
The MFA, through its Embassy in Abu Dhabi, is in constant contact with the authorities of the United Arab Emirates to clarify the circumstances of this case.
The Embassy is cooperating with local authorities and closely monitoring the situation, providing the necessary support within its competencies.
