‘Abhorrent Antisemitic Terrorist Attack’: Rabbi Kidnapped and Murdered in UAE

Latest Developments

• Kogan’s Body Located After Disappearance: The body of Rabbi Zvi Kogan, deputy director of the Chabad House in Abu Dhabi, was located on November 24 by Emirati authorities after he went missing the previous Thursday. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the incident “an abhorrent antisemitic terrorist attack.” Kogan, 28, was an Israeli-Moldovan dual national and was married to a niece of a rabbi who was murdered in the 2008 Islamist attack on the Chabad House in Mumbai. Kogan doubled as supervisor of a kosher supermarket in Dubai. 

• Iran Played Possible Role: The Islamic Republic has a history of launching intelligence operations in the UAE, where its operatives are suspected of monitoring Iranian nationals in the country. Iran is also likely to have kidnapped both British-Iranian Abbas Yazdi in 2013 and German-Iranian Jamshid Sharmah in 2020; Sharmah was recently executed in Iran. Defense Minister Israel Katz said the incident appeared similar to past Iranian-orchestrated plots against Israelis and Jews abroad. According to Israeli media, three Uzbek nationals are suspected of murdering Kogan in his car, driving it the desert city of Al Ain, concealing the body there, and fleeing to Turkey.

• Terrorists Arrested by Emiratis: After Israeli President Isaac Herzog offered assurances that Emirati authorities “will work tirelessly to bring the perpetrators to justice,” the UAE announced it had arrested “three perpetrators” who the Emirate said were responsible for Kogan’s murder. It is not clear whether Israel will seek their extradition at this time.

FDD Expert Response:

“Iran is the obvious culprit here. Its territory is just across the Gulf waters from UAE, its nationals can travel freely there, and it has been trying for years to lash out at defenseless Israelis and drive a wedge between the Jewish state and Arab Sunni states. Nowadays, UAE is a major draw for Israeli tourists. The Emiratis must be utterly transparent about the risks posed by Iranian-backed terrorists on their turf. This is not the time for diplomatic niceties.” — Mark Dubowitz, CEO

“In recent years, Israel has thwarted many attempts by Iran to harm Israeli and Jewish interests abroad. Businessmen, tourists and now rabbis have been targeted by the regime. This tactic underscores a troubling reality that many have known for some time. When Iran is unable to inflict substantial harm on Israel through conventional methods — proxies and direct attacks — it turns to acts of terrorism aimed at soft targets.” — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst and Editor at FDD’s Long War Journal

“The murder of Rabbi Kogan underlines the fact that Iran’s current rulers and their regional terror proxies are on the hunt for their opponents. No country — including the United States, where three Iranian agents have been indicted for planning to assassinate incoming President Donald Trump — is immune from Iranian terror. Effectively countering the global threat that Iran poses will be a top priority for the new administration.” — Ben Cohen, Senior Analyst and Rapid Response Manager

“While it’s important that the Emirati authorities seem to have captured the terrorists responsible for Rabbi Kogan’s murder, the bigger picture can’t be ignored; Iran sent a terrorist squad to deliberately target a Jewish man abroad, and for that the regime must be held responsible. Additionally, Israel should seek extradition for the three perpetrators involved and make an example out of the terrorists to deter further Iranian-backed attacks.” — Aaron Goren, Research Analyst and Editor

FDD Background and Analysis

“Israel, Partners Foiled 27 Iranian Terror Plots in Last Year,” FDD Flash Brief

“Iran Using Northern Cyprus as Terrorist Staging Ground,” FDD Flash Brief

“Iran’s Assassination Plots Against Jews Persist Despite the West’s Leniency on Regime,” by Janatan Sayeh

“Iran Plots Assassination of Trump,” FDD Flash Brief