Israeli Official Arrested in U.S. Child Luring Operation

HENDERSON, Nevada — Tom Artiom Alexandrovich, a 38-year-old executive director of the Israel Cyber Directorate, was arrested as part of a two-week undercover operation aimed at combating child exploitation online. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department announced the operation on Friday, stating Alexandrovich and seven others faced felony charges of luring children with a computer for sexual acts.

The arrests occurred in Henderson, a city near Las Vegas, during an operation by the Nevada Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, which teamed up with agencies including the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations. All eight suspects believed they were meeting minors, but were instead confronted by undercover officers.

Alexandrovich was arrested while attending the Black Hat Briefings, an annual cybersecurity conference. After an initial court appearance, he was released on a $10,000 bail and flew back to Israel. Information online indicates that he had a LinkedIn page which described his role in the Israeli government.

In a now-deleted LinkedIn post, Alexandrovich mentioned his participation in the conference, noting how generative artificial intelligence was a major topic. The situation quickly escalated after the arrests when officials from both the Israeli and U.S. governments provided conflicting reports regarding his detention.

The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office asserted that Alexandrovich was merely questioned and not arrested. They emphasized that the incident carried no political implications for Israel and that he had returned home as planned. However, the Las Vegas police stated otherwise, confirming the arrest and charges filed against him and the other suspects.

Under Nevada law, luring a child for a sex act can result in a prison sentence of one to ten years. The investigation highlights ongoing efforts by law enforcement agencies to safeguard children from online predators.