Naama Issachar
Photo: Courtesy of the family
Israel sets to extradite Russian hacker to U.S.
Government officials estimate hacker will be extradited to U.S. after PM rules out any possibility of potential trade deal between cyber felon and Israeli jailed in Russia
Minister of Justice Amir Ohana is expected to sign an extradition order in the coming days against Russian hacker Alexei Burkov, who is wanted in the United States, government officials said Monday.
In recent days, several consultation rounds have been held between state officials headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in light of the fact that both the United States and Russia are seeking Burkov's extradition.
Russian Hacker Alexei Burkov 9left) and Israeli Naama Issachar (right)
During the talks Netanyahu had ruled out any possibility of a potential trade deal between Burkov and Naama Issachar, a 26-year-old who was arrested in April while in transit in a Moscow airport, en route from India to Israel, and accused of carrying 9 grams of cannabis. Russian authorities charged her with drug smuggling and sentenced her for 7.5 years in prison.
Official documents and decisions of the Jerusalem District Court and the Supreme Court in Israel that discussed Burkov's appeal show that the United States was the first to request Burkov's extradition three and a half years ago.
Alexei Burkov, a Russian national detained by Israel during a 2015 visit. Israel says he is wanted by the United States for suspected cyber offences.
President Reuven Rivlin on Sunday appealed in an official letter to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to grant a pardon to Issachar.
