(CNN)- Authorities in the United Arab Emirates have arrested three people in connection with the death of an Israeli rabbi, who Israel says was killed in an “act of anti-Semitic terrorism.”
Zvi Kogan, who also has Moldovan citizenship and is a representative of Chabad, a religious movement of Hasidic Jews with communities, synagogues and other institutions in several countries, was missing since Thursday afternoon. The official Chabad website says he was kidnapped in Dubai, one of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates.
On Sunday, the UAE Interior Ministry confirmed that it had discovered Kogan’s body and arrested three people in connection with his death. They did not confirm the identities or affiliations of the suspects, but said they had initiated “necessary legal processes” and would release more details once the investigation was complete.
Earlier on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised that Israel would “use all its means to bring Kogan’s killers and those who sent them to justice.”
Expressing his “deepest condolences” to the Kogan family, Netanyahu said that “the murder of an Israeli citizen and Chabad emissary is heinous and an act of anti-Semitic terrorism.”
Israeli authorities have re-issued travel advisories to its citizens, recommending against non-essential travel and saying visitors should minimize movement and stay in safe locations.
Kogan worked with other Chabad emissaries to establish and expand Judaism in the United Arab Emirates. According to the official website of the Chabad movement, he founded the first Jewish education center in the area and helped make kosher food widely available.
Kogan’s wife, Rivky, is an American citizen whose uncle, Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg, was killed in the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks.
There is a small Jewish community in the United Arab Emirates, estimated to number a few thousand members. Last year, its first purpose-built synagogue was inaugurated there. The interfaith complex, called the “Abrahamic Family House”, also houses a mosque and a church.
Relations between the UAE and Israel have eased in recent years. In 2020, the United Arab Emirates became the most prominent Arab nation in decades to establish ties with Israel, known as the Abraham Accords.
However, Reuters says that public visibility of Israelis and Jews has declined since the October 7 attacks. Members of the Jewish community told the agency that informal synagogues in Dubai had been closed due to security concerns in the wake of the attacks.