Madonna publicly thanked the FBI and the Israeli Police on Thursday for apprehending the hacker who stole and leaked the songs from her upcoming album, Rebel Heart. The singer wrote on her website, “I am profoundly grateful to the FBI, the Israeli Police investigators and anyone else who helped lead to the arrest of this hacker.” A 39-year-old resident of Tel Aviv was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of hacking the computers of Madonna and several other unnamed celebrities. The arrest came after a month-long investigation by the Lahav 433, a crime-fighting organization within the Israeli Police. The hacker’s identity was not released to the public, but several local outlets said he previously appeared on a popular reality TV show. Following the online leak of her new music in December, Madonna released six songs from Rebel Heart on iTunes. In her message, the singer acknowledged not only law enforcement organizations, but also fans who shared information that led to the arrest.
