The White House on Sunday issued a statement in which it condemned the murder of Rabbi Zvi Kogan, the Chabad emissary to Abu Dhabi.
“We condemn in the strongest terms the murder of Rabbi Zvi Kogan in the UAE and our prayers are with his family, the Chabad-Lubavitch community, the broader Jewish community, and all who are mourning his loss,” said National Security Council Spokesperson Sean Savett.
“This was a horrific crime against all those who stand for peace, tolerance, and coexistence. It was an assault as well on UAE and its rejection of violent extremism across the board,” added Savett.
“The United States is working in close coordination with Israeli and UAE authorities, and we have offered all appropriate forms of support. We commend the rapid efforts of UAE authorities who now have suspects in custody. Those who carried out this crime, and anyone supporting them, must be held fully accountable,” he concluded.
Earlier on Sunday, the Ministry of Interior of the United Arab Emirates announced that the Emirati authorities have arrested three individuals suspected of murdering Rabbi Kogan.
The Ministry explained that upon receiving a missing person report from the victim’s family, a specialized search and investigation team was promptly assembled. This led to the discovery of the victim’s body, the identification and arrest of the perpetrators, and the initiation of the necessary legal procedures. Full details of the incident will be disclosed upon the conclusion of the investigations.
Meanwhile, the intelligence blog Intelli Times reported that Iran has established a terrorist affiliate in recent years that relies on Uzbek activists of Shiite-Iranian origin, which may be responsible for the murder of Rabbi Kogan.
According to the report, the terrorist affiliate was run by a terrorist from Tajikistan by the name Muhammad Ali Burhanov, who ran Unit 400 of the Iranian Quds Force, a terrorist network that operated on the soil of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. The unit's goal was to harm Jewish and Israeli targets. Such attempts have been documented in recent months.
Burhanov studied at a campus in Tehran that is also known for recruiting activists from around the world for the benefit of Iranian intelligence agencies. The affiliate he ran also included activists from the Hezbollah Brigades, the main Iranian-backed militia in Iraq.