A Moldovan man who went missing in the UAE has been found murdered, and three suspects have been arrested, the Ministry of Interior confirmed on Sunday.

Zvi Kogan's family reported his disappearance on Thursday afternoon (November 21), and a search and investigation team was formed. The investigations led to the discovery of the missing person’s body and the identification of the perpetrators. The suspects were arrested, and legal proceedings have begun.

According to UAE authorities, the 28-year-old entered the Emirates using his Moldovan identification documents. He was residing in Abu Dhabi with his wife Rivky.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Moldova identified Zvi Kogan as an Israeli-Moldovan. It said it "firmly [condemns] violence" and extended condolences to his family. "We remain in contact with authorities to support the investigation."

The UAE stressed that the country would spare no effort to keep its citizens, residents, and visitors safe. It also stated that it would use "all legal powers to respond decisively and without leniency to any actions or attempts that threaten societal stability", reiterating its readiness to take all necessary steps to maintain harmony and peaceful coexistence.

Kogan, who was an emissary for the Chabad Hasidic movement in the UAE, will be laid to rest in Israel.

Chabad is an orthodox Jewish group that has chapters worldwide and seeks to build links with non-affiliated and secular Jews or other sects of Judaism. According to its website, the group's branch in the UAE supports Jewish visitors and residents, providing religious and social services.

In a statement, the group said that the Chabad community, and the international Jewish community at large are “shocked, grieving and outraged”.

They called on world leaders to take action and said it "trust that the UAE will work with the countries in the region to bring the perpetrators to justice, and hold all those involved accountable for this act of sheer evil”.

Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky, chairman of Chabad-Lubavitch, said, “It is incumbent upon the authorities of every country where Chabad representatives serve in good faith, to ensure that terror finds no haven within its borders. The targeting of Rabbi Kogan was an attempt to destroy the sacred Jewish values that he represented: light, goodness and kindness."

Earlier on Sunday, Dr Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE President, took to X to say that the UAE would "remain a land of safety, a haven of stability, a society of tolerance and coexistence..."

UAE ambassador to the US Yousef Al Otaiba offered his condolences to Kogan's "family, friends and community over his senseless death".

He called the Rabbi's murder not just a crime in UAE, but a crime against the UAE. "It was an attack on our homeland, on our values and on our vision." The UAE welcomes everyone, said Otaiba, noting that it rejects extremism and fanaticism of every kind. "We are more determined than ever to protecting and sustaining the Emirates as a shining and enduring example of diversity, acceptance and peace.”