Israeli Official in Hot Water over Las Vegas Attempted Rendezvous with Minors

T. A. A., 38, found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time after a sting operation saw him and several other people arrested while he was visiting the United States to attend a cutting-edge cybersecurity conference.

A., who is reported to be the Executive Director of the Israel Cyber Directorate, was visiting Las Vegas for the Black Hat USA cybersecurity conference that took place on August 2-7 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center.

Israeli Official Arrested in Sex Child Sting Operation While Attending Conference

However, he and seven others were ultimately lured to a second location by police and investigators and arrested. The suspects were charged with “Felony charges of luring a child with a computer for a sex act,” which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years.

The repercussions of the arrest are significant. A.’s LinkedIn profile has disappeared, but online sleuths took screenshots of his social media activity showing him at Black Hat USA’s presentations.

Back home, things are not getting better for A., who has been placed on leave from the Israel Cyber Directorate and is now facing an investigation. Interestingly, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office issued official statements rebuking claims that the official had been arrested.

No such accident occurred, the press office insisted. “The employee, who does not hold a diplomatic visa, was not arrested and returned to Israel as scheduled,” the statement read.

However, the sting operation involved a number of high-ranking organizations, including the FBI, Homeland Security, and the Nevada Attorney General’s Office, as well as the Las Vegas and Henderson police departments.