An Israeli government cybersecurity official was arrested in the United States in connection with an alleged online pedophilia case, according to court and police documents reviewed by Ynet Saturday, contradicting earlier denials by the Prime Minister’s Office.
The official, Tom Alexandrovich, a senior department head in Israel’s National Cyber Directorate, was taken into custody in Las Vegas last week along with seven others as part of a wide-ranging police operation targeting suspected online predators, Las Vegas police said.
Alexandrovich was suspected of using computer technology to lure a child with mental disabilities for sexual purposes, according to arrest records. Police said he was booked into Henderson Detention Center and later released on $10,000 bail after appearing before a judge.
Those details appear to contradict statements by the National Cyber Directorate and the Prime Minister’s Office, which initially said, “The employee, who does not hold a diplomatic visa, was not arrested and returned to Israel as scheduled.” Alexandrovich had been in the U.S. attending a professional conference on behalf of the Israeli government.
It remains unclear who posted his bail or how he was permitted to leave the United States and return to Israel. The case has drawn international attention, with foreign media describing Alexandrovich as a senior official in the Prime Minister’s Office, though Israeli officials stressed the incident carried “no diplomatic implications.”
In response to the documents, the Cyber Directorate, which falls under the Prime Minister’s Office, said its earlier statement “was accurate based on the information provided to us,” adding it had “no involvement in any matter relating to bail.” The agency said Alexandrovich is currently on leave “by mutual decision.”
Among the seven others arrested in the sting was a 46-year-old pastor at a Las Vegas church, who resigned immediately after his release on bail and reportedly admitted wrongdoing. His first court hearing is scheduled for Sept. 2 in Henderson, Nevada.
Another suspect, a former Las Vegas police officer, was fired last year for allegedly misusing a police phone for dating apps. An Indian engineering student was also arrested. Police said all of the suspects believed they were meeting minors, but were instead confronted by undercover officers.