Madonna (Photo : http://www.billboard.com/)
Israeli's Channel 2 reports that the suspect responsible for Madonna's untimely release of "Rebel Heart" album was arrested, Reuters reported. The 39-year-old hacker was arrested by Israel's Lahav 433 on Jan. 21, Wednesday, after a month long of investigation. Lahav 433 is a cyber crime unit, an anti-crime organization, equivalent to the US' FBI.
In December 2014, Madonna prematurely released her six songs from the upcoming "Rebel Heart" album after several early mixes of her newest tracks leaked online, even before the "Like A Virgin" singer's 13th album was officially released.
While most hackers remain anonymous and have avoided arrest for a long time, the Israeli investigators were able to arrest a person, who they believe is the one responsible for the unauthorized release.
Lahav 433, the country's cyber crime unit confirmed that they have arrested a 39-year-old male, citing that they have the proper evidence that he is the person who hacked the singer's personal computers. When the suspect, whose name was not revealed, was asked why he did it, he said that he was determined to sell the "Rebel Heart" leaks to a willing third party.
The authorities have also emphasized that the man has also hacked the personal computers of a few other artists; however, did not go further to reveal the other victim's identity. The suspect was a contestant of a US singing competition, told Israeli media.
Through a Facebook post, Madonna said, "I'm very grateful to the FBI, Lahav 433, and the Israeli police for arresting the hacker."
