Israeli officials have been in contact with the family of the Israeli-Moldovan citizen since his disappearance, according to an Israeli statement.
Zvi Kogan’s body was found after his abandoned car was found an hour’s drive from his home.
The President of Israel, Isaac Herzog, also called his murder a “heinous, anti-Semitic attack.”
Mossad investigators are working to identify those responsible for the rabbi’s death.
Chabad is a religious foundation that seeks to build connections with unaffiliated and secular Jews or other sects of Judaism. The group’s branch in the UAE supports thousands of Jewish visitors and residents, according to its website, external.
Rabbi Kogan, 28, worked with other Chabad emissaries “in establishing and expanding Jewish life in the Emirates,” – they say in the organization, external. He also ran a kosher supermarket in Dubai.
Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky, chairman of Chabad Lubavitch, said: “We believe that the UAE will work with the countries of the region to bring those responsible to justice and hold everyone involved accountable for this act of pure evil.”
Israel’s government advisory service is warning citizens to travel to the UAE only for “substantial reasons” as it says there is “terrorist activity” in the UAE that poses a “real danger to Israelis staying/visiting the country”.
Abu Dhabi established official relations with Israel under a US-brokered agreement known as the Abraham Accords.
He maintained relations during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
Additional reporting by Ruth Comerford.
