Two days after his voice went viral in footage showing the discovery of missing Israelis Mali and Liel Yahalomi, the police officer behind the search has spoken publicly about how the two were tracked down in Argentina.
Chief Superintendent Walter Alejandro Kogan, Israel Police’s representative in South America, said he began working with local authorities as soon as it became clear that the mother and daughter had entered Argentina.
“When I understood that the missing women had arrived in Argentina, I carried out a rapid inquiry,” Kogan said in a video released Sunday by Israel Police. “I realized they were traveling outside Buenos Aires.”
Kogan said he then set out with Argentine police and Interpol officers to locate them. Once they were found, he identified himself and checked that they were safe and that there were no signs a crime had been committed.
The operation, he said, involved additional personnel and was coordinated through the Israel Police Intelligence Division. “In the end, it was a good ending, and that’s what matters.”
Kogan was the previously unseen officer heard speaking to Mali and Liel in police footage released after they were found.
“Hi Mali, hi Liel, I’m Walter, the police representative in South America, OK? From the Intelligence Division of the Israel Police,” he was heard saying. “I want to ask you a few questions. We were very worried about you, OK? I’m getting everyone off the bus and then we’ll talk, OK?”
Walter with Liel and Mali
Israel Police said its overseas representatives work with foreign law enforcement agencies as part of the force’s international intelligence network, both in operations against organized crime and in urgent cases such as searches for missing Israelis.
Before taking up his current posting, Kogan lived in Beersheba and served as the investigations and intelligence officer at the Arad police station. He was later promoted from chief inspector to chief superintendent and appointed Israel Police representative in Latin America.
During his time in Arad, Kogan was involved in several investigations that drew media attention, including break-ins at rooms in the Milos Hotel at the Dead Sea and burglaries at Gur Hasidic synagogues in the city. He also took part in an investigation involving a Bedouin man suspected of committing an indecent act against an 11-year-old girl at an Arad shopping mall.