UAE says 3 Uzbeks arrested over Israeli-Moldovan rabbi's murder

Authorities in the United Arab Emirates say they have identified three Uzbek nationals as the suspects arrested over the murder of an Israeli-Moldovan rabbi in the Persian Gulf state, and are working to find out a motive.

The official WAM news agency carried images of the three men, blindfolds covering their faces in prison uniforms and flip flops.

The body of Zvi Kogan, 28, an ultra-Orthodox rabbi who went missing from Dubai on Thursday afternoon, was found dead on Sunday.

His corpse was discovered in the Emirati city of Al Ain, which borders Oman, though it was not clear if he was killed there or elsewhere. It was believed Kogan had last been seen at a Kosher supermarket in Dubai.

The UAE’s Interior Ministry statement identified the three Uzbek nationals as Olimboy Tohirovich, 28, Makhmudjon Abdurakhim, 28, and Azizbek Kamilovich, 33. 

The ministry said authorities were taking “the necessary actions to uncover the details, circumstances and motives of the crime”.

The preliminary probe into the men is “in preparation for referring them to the public prosecution for further investigation,” the Interior Ministry said.

Iran rejects any role in murder of Israeli rabbi who went missing in UAE

The Iranian Embassy in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) rejected outright any involvement in the murder of Israeli rabbi Zvi Kogan in the Persian Gulf kingdom.

On Sunday, the Iranian Embassy in Abu Dhabi told Reuters news agency that it “categorically rejects the allegations of Iran’s involvement in the murder of this individual”.

The statement came after some Western media outlets and the Zionist regime missed no time to accuse Iran of being behind the murder without providing any evidence and even prior to the launch of an investigation by Emirati authorities.

The Israeli-Moldovan rabbi was reported missing by his wife after he did not show up to a meeting on Thursday.

Neither Emirati nor Israeli officials provided any details about the circumstances of Kogan's murder.

A plane carrying the body of Kogan landed at Ben Gurion airport in the Israeli-occupied territories on Monday ahead of a planned funeral the following day.

The UAE, along with Bahrain, signed normalization pacts with the Israeli regime during an official ceremony hosted by former US president Donald Trump at the White House in September 2020. Palestinians slammed the deals as a treacherous "stab in the back" of their cause against the Israeli occupation.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.ir

www.presstv.co.uk