Thirty-five-year-old Gleb Grozovsky was arrested by Israel Police on Sunday on an international arrest warrant and Israel’s state’s prosecutors have petitioned Jerusalem District Court for Grozovsky’s extradition to Russia. Prosecutors also reportedly asked the court to extend Grozovsky’s detention until the end of the extradition proceedings.
Russian Orthodox Priest Arrested In Israel Over Russian Child Sex Abuse Charges
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com
A Russian Orthodox priest accused of sexually abusing two young girls in St. Petersburg, Russia is likely to be extradited by Israel.
Thirty-five-year-old Gleb Grozovsky was arrested by Israel Police on Sunday on an international arrest warrant, Arutz Sheva reported.
Israel’s state’s prosecutors have petitioned Jerusalem District Court for Grozovsky’s extradition to Russia. Prosecutors also reportedly asked the court to extend Grozovsky’s detention until the end of the extradition proceedings.
In November, Grozovsky was charged in absentia in Russia with allegedly sexually assaulting a 9-year-old girl and a 12-year-old girl at a Russian Orthodox summer camp on the Greek island of Kos in June 2013.
Russia Police investigators reportedly said they had evidence that Grozovsky had "committed a series of similar crimes in Saint Petersburg and the region."
Grozovsky came to Israel in September 2013 on a tourist visa and applied for citizenship. Israel’s Interior Ministry rejected his request and he was told to leave the country.
But Grozovsky appealed to the High Court of Justice, which had not yet handed down a decision at the time of Grozovsky’s arrest Sunday.
Grozovsky is said to be a well-known priest in Saint-Petersburg. He works with substance abusers, runs a large number of Russian Orthodox Church youth programs, and hosts his own radio show.
In a social media post, Grozovsky denied abusing any children and claimed that he was in Israel with the blessing of his supervisors to work with substance abusers.