An Israeli government official was reportedly arrested to face charges of luring children to partake in sex, but was allowed to return to Israel before trial, according to multiple sources.
Tom Artiom Alexandrovich, 38, was one of eight people arrested on Friday by a multi-agency sting operation led by the Las Vegas Police Department (LVPD), which charged the official with “luring a child with a computer for sex acts,” according to a statement from the LVPD. Alexandrovich, a senior official in the Israeli National Cyber Directorate that operates under the Prime Minister’s office, was reportedly questioned and then released by a Nevada state judge on Wednesday.
He then returned to Israel two days later, according to Ynet news. The State Department said Monday that Alexandrovich did not claim diplomatic immunity, noting that he has a court date scheduled and that the federal government did not intervene to secure his release.
“He did not claim diplomatic immunity and was released by a state judge pending a court date,” the State Department said on X. “Any claims that the U.S. government intervened are false.”
The Israeli Prime Minister’s office and the Las Vegas Police Department did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
A spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s office told Ynet News that the incident had “no political implications” and denied that Alexandrovich was arrested at all, contradicting the LVPD.
“The employee informed the unit that during his trip to the U.S., he was questioned by local authorities on matters unrelated to work and returned to Israel as planned,” the Prime Minister’s office told Ynet News. “The unit has not yet received further details through official channels. Should additional information arrive, the unit will act accordingly. At this stage, by joint decision, the employee has taken leave to address the matter until it is clarified.”
Alexandrovich was in the U.S. for a conference in his official capacity, according to Ynet News. The official was an otherwise well-respected cybersecurity specialist not previously implicated in criminal activity, helping create the “Cyber Dome” program that was designed to shield Israeli civilians from cyber attacks.
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