Tom Artiom Alexandrovich, a senior Israeli cybersecurity official and Acting Head of Data & AI at Israel's National Cyber Directorate, was arrested in Nevada during a federal sting operation targeting online child predators. He was charged with soliciting sex electronically from a minor, specifically attempting to lure what he believed to be a 15-year-old girl for sex. Alexandrovich was released on a $10,000 bond and subsequently fled to Israel without surrendering his passport, sparking controversy and calls for his extradition. The arrest and release have drawn criticism due to the involvement of Sigal Chattah, the Israeli-born Acting U.S. Attorney for Nevada, appointed during the Trump administration, who declined to prosecute Alexandrovich and allowed him to post bail. The Clark County District Attorney, Steve Wolfson, defended the bail process as standard but publicly clashed with Chattah over the case. The U.S. State Department denied any government intervention in Alexandrovich's release or departure. Alexandrovich reportedly identified himself as an Israeli government employee during the investigation and claimed to have meetings scheduled with the FBI and NSA. Israeli authorities initially denied his arrest, but documents and police records confirm the charges and his confession during interrogation. The case has raised concerns about national security risks given Alexandrovich's access to elite Israeli spyware and his role in removing social media posts critical of Israel. Additionally, a leak from Israel's Ministry of Justice revealed thousands of delayed or ignored international legal requests, including U.S. extradition cases for child sex abuse suspects. The controversy has elicited responses from U.S. politicians, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Nevada Attorney General Pam Bondi, who demanded Alexandrovich's immediate return to face justice. The case has also intensified scrutiny of Sigal Chattah, whose Israeli citizenship and political history have been highlighted amid accusations of bias and failure to pursue prosecution.
The Israeli man who was charged with attempting to lure a minor online for sex was a high-ranking official. He was not an obscure, unknown bureaucrat. @ggreenwald on the Israeli official who was able to return to Israel after being caught in a pedophile sting operation: https://t.co/dZkCywNCwT
Top Israeli Cyber Warfare Official Flees The U.S. After Child Exploitation Arrest in Nevada. Shaun King’s coverage on Tom Alexandrovich was then removed from X. @richardsudan for @incontextmedia @shaunking https://t.co/TKWPzDRKy3
Here’s Tom Alexandrovich, the senior Israeli official arrested in Las Vegas after a 2-week undercover sting operation targeting child sex predators. He “somehow” was allowed to leave the US. It turns out the Cyber Directorate he leads is also responsible for censoring social https://t.co/Q6mt3Q6Rr2