Zvi Kogan has been missing since Thursday when his car was found abandoned in the UAE.
Israel’s intelligence and security agencies are investigating the disappearance of an Israeli-Moldovan dual citizen in the United Arab Emirates as a potential terrorist incident, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) announced on Saturday.
Rabbi Zvi Kogan, an emissary of the Chabad wing of ultra-Orthodox Judaism in the UAE, has been missing since Thursday, according to the PMO, which spoke on behalf of the Israeli intelligence service (Mossad) and the National Security Council (NSO). Kogan managed a kosher supermarket in Dubai and is married to an American woman, according to Israeli media sources.
“Since his disappearance, and given information indicating that this may be a terrorist incident, an active investigation has been ongoing in the country,” the Israeli authorities stated. “Israeli security and intelligence organizations, concerned for Kogan’s safety and well-being, have been working tirelessly on this case.”
The UAE Foreign Ministry announced that it is closely monitoring the situation, “implementing extensive measures in its search” for Kogan and providing support to his family.
“The Ministry is in continuous contact with the Embassy of Moldova in Abu Dhabi regarding this matter,” Foreign Minister Sheikh Majed Al Mansoori said in a press release.
Kogan’s car was found abandoned in Al Ain, approximately 90 minutes from Dubai, Israeli news site Ynet reported, citing anonymous intelligence sources. His phone had reportedly been switched off. Mossad considers it likely that Kogan was kidnapped and murdered by an Uzbek terrorist cell that followed him after he left his store, according to Ynet’s anonymous sources.
The Israeli NSO travel advisory service has classified the UAE as a moderate threat for citizens, warning of potential “terrorist activity” and recommending that they avoid unnecessary travel to the country.
The UAE and Israel established formal diplomatic ties after signing the Abraham Accords in 2020 and have maintained them throughout West Jerusalem’s military campaigns in Gaza and Lebanon.
