Police officers in Israel arrested a man suspected of hacking into Madonna‘s computer, releasing demo versions of songs from her Rebel Hearts album. The arrest came after a month-along investigation involving a private investigation firm, and the cyber crime unit of Israel’s Lahav 433. Lahav 433 is a crime-fighting organization similar to the FBI. A statement from Lahav 433 describes how the 39-year old suspect broke into Madonna’s computer, “The suspect broke into the personal computer of several international artists over the past few months and stole promotional final-cut singles which have yet to be released and traded them online for a fee.” Madonna’s demos were leaked online in December, and it forced the singer to put out a pre-release of six songs from Rebel Heart on December 20th. The suspect’s name has not been released to the public, but several sources have reported the man was a former contestant on one of Israel’s most popular singing competition shows.
Yesterday, Madonna thanked the agencies responsible for arresting the suspect. The statement was released on her Facebook page, “I am profoundly grateful to the FBI, the Israeli Police investigators and anyone else who helped lead to the arrest of this hacker.” The pop singer continued, “I deeply appreciate my fans who have provided us with pertinent information and continue to do so regarding leaks of my music. Like any citizen, I have the right to privacy.” Madonna concluded, “This invasion into my life- creatively, professionally, and personally remains a deeply devastating and hurtful experience, as it must be for all artists who are victims of this type of crime.”
Rebel Heart is Madonna’s thirteenth studio album. Three of the six songs from the pre-release debuted on Billboard’s Dance/Electronic Songs chart including “Living For Love,” “Bitch I’m Madonna,” and “Unapologetic Bitch.” All three songs were produced by super producer Diplo. Diplo is a DJ, music producer, songwriter, and rapper who has worked with Beyoncé, M.I.A., Britney Spears, Justin Bieber, Usher, and No Doubt. Some of his biggest hits include “Paper Planes” (M.I.A.), “Look At Me Now” (Chris Brown featuring Lil Wayne, Busta Rhymes), and “End of Time” (Beyoncé).