Las Vegas police said Saturday that Tom Aleksandrovich, head of a division in Israel’s National Cyber Directorate, was the senior official detained this week during a professional conference he attended on behalf of the Israeli government. He was questioned on suspicion of online pedophilia.
Aleksandrovich was among eight people arrested in a large-scale operation targeting online child predators, led by Las Vegas police, who also issued a public statement about the arrests.
The operation, part of the Nevada Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force, included agents from the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force, Henderson and North Las Vegas police, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Nevada Attorney General’s office. All eight face felony charges of luring a child via computer for sexual acts. They were booked into the Henderson Detention Center, except one suspect who was booked into Clark County Detention Center.
Aleksandrovich attended the U.S. conference in an official capacity. Authorities said he was released following questioning on Wednesday, returned to his hotel, and flew back to Israel within two days.
Israeli officials emphasized that the incident “has no political implications.” The Prime Minister’s Office, which oversees the cyber unit, said Aleksandrovich was not arrested and returned on schedule:
“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 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.”
Hellbound and Down 