Israeli security services are investigating the disappearance of a rabbi from the Emirati capital after he was reported missing earlier this week,

Chabad emissary Rabbi Zvi Kogan is suspected to have been kidnapped and murdered in the United Arab Emirates by Islamic terrorists who have escaped to Turkey, Hebrew outlet Ynet reported on Saturday.

Israel’s Mossad and UAE intelligence agencies are investigating the case, after Kogan stopped communicating with his family on Wednesday and missed scheduled meetings.

The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office issued a statement on behalf of Mossad and the National Security Council, saying that “Zvi Kogan, an Israeli-Moldovan citizen and Chabad emissary residing in the United Arab Emirates, has been missing since Thursday afternoon.

“Since his disappearance, and in the wake of information of terrorist involvement, an intensive investigation has been launched in the country,” the statement read.

“Israeli intelligence and security agencies are working tirelessly for the safety and well-being of Zvi Kogan. The National Security Council has previously issued a Level 3 travel warning (moderate threat) for the United Arab Emirates, advising against non-essential travel to the destination and recommending heightened precautions for those staying there,” the PMO said.

Kogan is an emissary for the Abu Dhabi Chabad branch, and runs a kosher supermarket in the UAE, according to Ynet. The branch of Chabad was established in the wake of the Abraham Accords and boasts a Kosher supermarket as well as community members in Dubai.

Security officials told Ynet that “we know he was followed in the kosher supermarket that he managed in Abu Dhabi. We understand that those responsible [for his disappearance] have escaped to Turkey. His body has not been found.”

Ynet reported that after Kogan failed to arrive at meetings scheduled for Wednesday, his wife contacted the Chabad security officer, who appealed to Emirati authorities about his disappearance. 

An Israeli who lives in Abu Dhabi and is acquainted with Kogan told Ynet that the rabbi “is a nice guy who is very active in the community. His family is ruined and the Israeli and Jewish community is appalled. Kogan was the assistant of Chabad’s chief rabbi in the Emirates and formed and managed the kosher supermarket of the community.”

According to Israel's Channel 12 News, an Emirati security source said: "There is a lot of shock and anger after the disappearance of Zvi Kogan. Senior religious figures, and the government, are working to confirm [the details] of the incident and clarify it."

Relations between Israel and the UAE were normalised with the Abraham Accords in 2020, and despite criticisms of Israel’s conduct during its war , a senior Emirati official said late last month that normalisation is not at risk.