Latest news with #Israeli-Moldovan
Miami Herald
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Three Sentenced to Death for Murdering Rabbi
Three people have been sentenced to death in the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) after being convicted of the premeditated murder of an Israeli-Moldovan rabbi. The ruling follows a high-profile investigation into the brutal killing, which sent shockwaves through both the local and international Jewish communities. Newsweek has reached out to the Israeli Prime Minister's office for comment. The murder drew international attention, prompting strong condemnations from both the U.S. and Israel, which had urged the U.A.E. to ensure full accountability. The U.A.E. has become one of Israel's most closely linked countries in the Middle East after it joined the Abraham Accords under U.S. President Donald Trump in 2020. Relations between many Arab countries and Israel have been under extra strain since its war with Hamas which has devastated the Gaza Strip since the Palestinian Islamist group attacked Israel in October 2023. The court sentenced three defendants to the death penalty and a fourth to life imprisonment for the "premeditated murder with terrorist intention," the Emirati News Agency WAM reported. The defendants were convicted of the kidnapping and murder of Moldovan-Israeli citizen Zvi Kogan, who went missing in the U.A.E. back in November 2024, and was later found dead. Kogan, 28, was an ultra-Orthodox rabbi and entrepreneur who managed Rimon Market, a kosher grocery store in Dubai, a city that has seen an influx of Israeli tourists and businesses since the Abraham Accords. The Uzbek defendants were arrested in Turkey in November, as Uzbekistan stood in solidarity with Israel and decried "terrorism and extremism," according to The Associated Press. The arrested suspects were brought to trial in the U.A.E. State prosecutors said they had tracked and murdered the victim and later confessed to the crime, according to WAM. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office had called Kogan's murder a "heinous antisemitic terror incident". The U.S. National Security Council had also described it as a "horrific crime against all those who stand for peace, tolerance, and coexistence," a November statement by embassy in the U.A.E read. Both the U.S. and Israel said then they were coordinating with the U.A.E. to bring perpetuators to justice. U.A.E. Attorney General Hamad al-Shamsi, according to WAM: "The verdict reflects the U.A.E.'s unwavering commitment to combating terrorism in accordance with the highest standards of justice and the rule of law while ensuring fair trial guarantees. The U.A.E. stands as a global model of coexistence and tolerance, where its laws protect all residents, regardless of religion or ethnicity, ensuring their safety and security." Political Commentator Rabbi Elie Abadie told i24 News Channel: "We have been feeling safe since the beginning. His memory will always be remembered – it is a great, great loss for the community." U.A.E. Political Affairs Analyst Amjad Taha on X: "When Rabbi Zvi Kogan was killed, the U.A.E. swiftly arrested the perpetrators and brought them to justice. Soon, our respected Jewish community will witness righteous, firm, and strong justice in action." The verdict is set to be reviewed and receive final adjudication by the local Federal Supreme Court according to Emirati laws on capital punishment sentences. 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
LBCI
31-03-2025
- LBCI
UAE sentences killers of Israeli-Moldovan citizen to death
The United Arab Emirates on Monday sentenced three people to death for the murder of an Israeli-Moldovan dual citizen who was killed in November in the Gulf country, state news agency WAM reported. A fourth defendant was sentenced to life in prison in connection with the killing of Zvi Kogan, a representative in the UAE of Chabad, an Orthodox Jewish group that has chapters around the world and seeks to build links with non-affiliated and secular Jews or other sects of Judaism. Reuters
Shafaq News
31-03-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
UAE court sentences three to death for killing of Israeli rabbi
Shafaq News/ A United Arab Emirates court sentenced three people to death for the killing of Israeli-Moldovan rabbi Zvi Kogan, state media reported on Monday. The state-run WAM news agency said the Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeals' State Security Chamber also handed a life sentence to a fourth defendant accused of aiding the crime. It did not disclose the identities of those convicted, but three Uzbek nationals had been arrested in Turkiye and extradited to the UAE in connection with the case. 'The defendants had tracked and murdered the victim,' WAM reported, citing State Security Prosecution evidence that included confessions, forensic reports, post-mortem examination findings, and witness testimonies. Kogan, 28, an ultra-Orthodox rabbi, had lived in the UAE for several years and represented the Chabad movement, a global Orthodox Jewish group. He was reported missing in November, and his body was found days later in Al Ain, near the Omani border. Authorities have not provided a motive for the killing, which occurred amid the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office condemned the killing as an "antisemitic terrorist act." Diplomatic ties between Israel and the UAE, established under the 2020 Abraham Accords, have remained intact despite strains caused by the war. Israel maintains an embassy in Abu Dhabi and a consulate in Dubai, where Kogan ran a kosher grocery store. While not directly accusing Iran, Netanyahu and other Israeli officials have linked Kogan's killing to an "axis of evil," a term Israel has previously used to refer to Iran and its allies. The UAE has not made such allegations, and Iran's embassy in Abu Dhabi has denied any involvement.
CNN
31-03-2025
- Politics
- CNN
UAE court sentences 3 people to death in killing of Israeli-Moldovan rabbi Zvi Kogan
A court in the United Arab Emirates has sentenced three people to death for the killing of Israeli-Moldovan Zvi Kogan, state media reported Monday. The state-run WAM news agency announced the verdicts of the three after a trial in Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeals' State Security Chamber. It said a fourth person who aided the killing received a life sentence. It did not identify those charged. However, three Uzbek nationals had been arrested in Turkey and brought back to the UAE over the killing in November. 'The defendants had tracked and murdered the victim,' the WAM report said. 'The evidence presented by the State Security Prosecution to the court included the defendants' detailed confessions to the crimes of murder and kidnapping, along with forensic reports, post-mortem examination findings, details of the instruments used in the crime and witness testimonies.' Authorities in the UAE have not offered a motive for the killing, nor any details about how Kogan was kidnapped and slain. However, it came amid the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip, which has inflamed anger across the wider Muslim world. Diplomatic ties between Israel and the UAE have remained intact, though strained, by the war as Israel maintains a consulate in Dubai and an embassy in Abu Dhabi. While not directly blaming Iran, Israeli officials including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and others have referred to an 'axis of evil' being responsible for Kogan's killing — a phrase Israel in the past has used to refer to Iran and its allies. Iran's Embassy in Abu Dhabi has denied Tehran was involved in the rabbi's slaying and the UAE itself has not made the allegation. However, Western officials believe Iran runs intelligence operations in the UAE and keeps tabs on the hundreds of thousands of Iranians living across the country. Iranian intelligence services also have carried out past kidnappings in the UAE. Iran also has used criminal gangs in the past to target dissidents and its enemies. Kogan, 28, an ultra-Orthodox rabbi, ran a kosher grocery store in the futuristic city of Dubai, where Israelis have flocked for commerce and tourism since the two countries forged diplomatic ties in the 2020 Abraham Accords. The UAE has a burgeoning Jewish community, with synagogues and businesses catering to kosher diners. Kogan was an emissary of the Chabad Lubavitch movement, a prominent and highly observant branch of ultra-Orthodox Judaism based in Brooklyn's Crown Heights neighborhood in New York City. He was buried in Israel. The UAE is an autocratic federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula and is also home to Abu Dhabi. Capital cases are rare in the country of 9 million people, but executions typically come swiftly after defendants have their appeals exhausted. Typically, the UAE uses firing squads to execute the condemned.
CNN
31-03-2025
- Politics
- CNN
UAE court sentences 3 people to death in killing of Israeli-Moldovan rabbi Zvi Kogan
A court in the United Arab Emirates has sentenced three people to death for the killing of Israeli-Moldovan Zvi Kogan, state media reported Monday. The state-run WAM news agency announced the verdicts of the three after a trial in Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeals' State Security Chamber. It said a fourth person who aided the killing received a life sentence. It did not identify those charged. However, three Uzbek nationals had been arrested in Turkey and brought back to the UAE over the killing in November. 'The defendants had tracked and murdered the victim,' the WAM report said. 'The evidence presented by the State Security Prosecution to the court included the defendants' detailed confessions to the crimes of murder and kidnapping, along with forensic reports, post-mortem examination findings, details of the instruments used in the crime and witness testimonies.' Authorities in the UAE have not offered a motive for the killing, nor any details about how Kogan was kidnapped and slain. However, it came amid the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip, which has inflamed anger across the wider Muslim world. Diplomatic ties between Israel and the UAE have remained intact, though strained, by the war as Israel maintains a consulate in Dubai and an embassy in Abu Dhabi. While not directly blaming Iran, Israeli officials including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and others have referred to an 'axis of evil' being responsible for Kogan's killing — a phrase Israel in the past has used to refer to Iran and its allies. Iran's Embassy in Abu Dhabi has denied Tehran was involved in the rabbi's slaying and the UAE itself has not made the allegation. However, Western officials believe Iran runs intelligence operations in the UAE and keeps tabs on the hundreds of thousands of Iranians living across the country. Iranian intelligence services also have carried out past kidnappings in the UAE. Iran also has used criminal gangs in the past to target dissidents and its enemies. Kogan, 28, an ultra-Orthodox rabbi, ran a kosher grocery store in the futuristic city of Dubai, where Israelis have flocked for commerce and tourism since the two countries forged diplomatic ties in the 2020 Abraham Accords. The UAE has a burgeoning Jewish community, with synagogues and businesses catering to kosher diners. Kogan was an emissary of the Chabad Lubavitch movement, a prominent and highly observant branch of ultra-Orthodox Judaism based in Brooklyn's Crown Heights neighborhood in New York City. He was buried in Israel. The UAE is an autocratic federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula and is also home to Abu Dhabi. Capital cases are rare in the country of 9 million people, but executions typically come swiftly after defendants have their appeals exhausted. Typically, the UAE uses firing squads to execute the condemned.
