Former Netanyahu security chief arrested in child solicitation operation in US

Mahl faced arrest in mid-April after investigators caught him soliciting a minor and attempting to obtain child sexual abuse material.

Authorities said Mahl, 47, used Reddit to communicate for nearly a month with an undercover detective from the Harford County Sheriff’s Office who posed online as a 15-year-old boy named “Nate.”

The undercover officer repeatedly mentioned the supposed teenager’s age and inexperience during the conversations, according to charging documents.

Mahl acknowledged several times that the person was underage but continued sending sexually explicit messages and photographs anyway, prosecutors said.

He eventually arranged to travel to Harford County to meet the person he believed was a teenage boy for sexual activity, where deputies arrested him after he arrived at the agreed meeting location, court records stated.

During a bail hearing, prosecutors described Mahl as a “wolf in sheep’s clothing,” arguing that his position in law enforcement made the allegations even more serious because officers hold public trust and responsibility for protecting children.

Charging documents also stated that Mahl disclosed his role in policing during the conversations.

He told the undercover officer that he “could get in trouble” while the teenager would not because he was “a child,” adding that he had “it all to lose,” investigators said.

MPD confirmed that it placed Mahl on administrative leave and revoked his police powers after learning about the arrest.

MPD added that its Internal Affairs Division would open a separate investigation once the criminal case concludes.

“The allegations in this case are extremely disturbing, and in direct contrast with the values of the Metropolitan Police Department,” the department said in a statement.

Authorities charged Mahl with sexual solicitation of a minor and solicitation of child pornography. A judge ordered him held without bail.

Mahl previously served as chairman of the DC Fraternal Order of Police between 2016 and 2018, where union members unsuccessfully attempted to remove him from the position during his term.

Advocates for survivors of sexual violence said the case could further damage public trust in law enforcement institutions.

The US does not publish comprehensive statistics tracking the number of Israeli or dual nationals accused of soliciting minors in the US.

However, several media reports do occasionally surface, exposing Israelis accused of child solicitation in the US.

Within the occupied Palestine, Israeli authorities do publish some data on documented sex crimes.

According to the regime’s so-called Central Bureau of Statistics, hundreds of individuals are arrested each year for sexual offenses against minors.