Turkey Arrested the 3 Uzbek Nationals Extradited to UAE for Murder of Israeli Rabbi
Turkey arrested and extradited to the UAE the three Uzbek men who are suspected of murdering Rabbi Zvi Kogan, a 28-year-old Israeli-Moldovan citizen, Turkish media reported on Tuesday.
In a joint operation over the weekend, Turkish police and the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) detained the suspects at Istanbul Airport, according to reports from Hürriyet and Daily Sabah newspapers. The UAE’s Interior Ministry identified the suspects as Olimboy Tohirovich, 28; Makhmudjon Abdurakhim, 28; and Azizbek Kamilovich, 33, and released images showing the men blindfolded and handcuffed.
The Emirati government, which expressed gratitude to Turkey, alerted MIT to the suspects’ travel plans, prompting the intelligence agency to initiate a covert operation. Turkey later extradited the alleged perpetrators to the UAE.
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Rabbi Kogan, affiliated with the Chabad movement, had been living in the UAE for several years, focusing on Jewish community outreach. He managed the Rimon Market, a kosher grocery store in Dubai. Reported missing on November 21, his body was discovered on Sunday in the city of Al Ain.
While no motive has been confirmed, Israeli officials have suggested possible Iranian involvement. The Iranian Embassy in Abu Dhabi has denied the allegation, though Western officials have long accused Tehran of running intelligence networks in the UAE.
Iran has previously been accused of employing criminal networks to target dissidents and adversaries abroad. Last month, an Iranian-German anti-government activist was executed in Iran after disappearing from Dubai in 2020.
Uzbekistan has pledged continued cooperation with Israel and the UAE in the investigation.
“The people of Uzbekistan have always maintained a friendly attitude toward all representatives of religions and backgrounds,” the Uzbek Foreign Ministry stated. “Uzbekistan has never tolerated, and will never tolerate, any form of nationalism. Terrorism and extremism know no borders or nationality.”
