ISRAELI intelligence agency Mossad is investigating the disappearance of a rabbi after receiving information regarding a “terrorist incident”.
Zvi Kogan, an Israeli-Moldovan citizen, has been missing in Abu Dhabi since Thursday.
Mr Kogan is the Chabad representative in the United Arab Emirates.
The Israeli prime minister’s office says the country’s security and intelligence services have been investigating the rabbi’s disappearance.
A spokesperson said: It said: “Mossad has updated that since his disappearance, and given information indicating that this is a terrorist incident, an active investigation has been going on in the country.
“Israeli security and intelligence organizations, concerned for Kogan’s safety and wellbeing, have been working tirelessly on this case.”
The prime minister’s office also reminded citizens that the National Security Council advises Israelis to only travel to the United Arab Emirates for essential reasons.
A travel advisory has warned Israelis: “In major cities, or locations where demonstrations or protests are taking place, conceal anything that could identify you as Israeli or Jewish.”
Emirati officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday.
State-run media in the UAE, an autocratic federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula and home to Abu Dhabi and Dubai, did not immediately report the incident.
The UAE diplomatically recognized Israel in 2020, a deal they’ve honored even as the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip and Israel’s ground invasion of Lebanon grind on.
While the Israeli message did not mention Iran, Iranian intelligence services have carried out kidnappings in the past in the UAE.
The Chabad movement is a Hasidic Jewish organisation that focuses on religious concepts like the soul, God, and the meaning of Jewish commandments.
It was established in 1775 by Rabbi Shneur Zalman in what is now Belarus. It is one of the largest Jewish organisation outposts.
Chabad practices are generally consistent with those of the wider Orthodox world, but the group does have some unique practices.
As of 2021, Chabad claimed 4,900 emissary families operating 3,500 institutions in 100 countries and territories. Chabad operates not only in major urban areas, but even in smaller cities and rural areas.
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