Israel arrests man wanted by France for sex crimes

JERUSALEM – Israeli authorities have arrested a dual French-Israeli citizen after France requested his extradition for a series of sex crimes against minors.

The Jerusalem District Prosecutor’s Office said Tuesday that Ilan Levy-Neumand, a resident of a West Bank settlement, was arrested and that prosecutors petitioned the court for his extradition.

In 2010, Levy-Neumand was convicted in absentia by a French court for sexual offences against eight girls and sentenced to 15 years in prison. If returned to France, he will face a retrial.

A message left with his attorney, Debborah Abitbol, was not immediately returned Tuesday.

Israel’s Justice Ministry said Levy-Neumand committed the crimes between 1987 and 2001 while working as a horse-riding instructor. He fled France for Israel after his arrest in 2002.

Prior to his arrest by Israeli police on Sunday, Levy-Neumand ran a horse-riding school in the West Bank settlement of Tekoa.