By Abdullah Sarica and Muhammed Emin Canik
Suspects in the murder of Rabbi Tzvi Kogan, an Israeli-Moldovan citizen who was killed in the UAE, were apprehended in Türkiye through a joint operation by the Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MIT) and law enforcement, security sources said on Wednesday.
Three Uzbek nationals suspected of murdering Rabbi Kogan, who had been operating a kosher market in Dubai since 2020, fled the country after the crime and the UAE government requested Türkiye's assistance.
The MIT launched an operation to locate and capture the suspects.
Upon identifying that they were aboard a flight scheduled to land in Istanbul, the intelligence agency collaborated with the police to track their movements.
The suspects were followed after disembarking and monitored as they traveled by taxi, which was later stopped during a traffic check.
The suspects, identified as Alimbay Tahirovich, 28; Mahmudcan Abdurrahim, also aged 28, and Azizbek Kamilovich, 33, were taken into custody and extradited to the UAE.
- UAE expresses gratitude to Türkiye
Abu Dhabi has expressed its gratitude to Türkiye for the extradition of the suspects.
In a statement, the UAE Foreign Ministry extended "sincere gratitude to the authorities of the Republic of Türkiye for their cooperation in apprehending the perpetrators."
*Writing by Gizem Nisa Cebi in Istanbul