Transgender Israeli computer engineer detained by ICE following kidnapping charges in New Hampshire

AUGUST 28, 2026 14:33Allison Alon, a transgender Israeli woman, is facing possible deportation from the United States after being released on parole from an American prison.On Friday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) posted that Alon, a former IDF intelligence technology specialist and convicted kidnapper, was arrested during raids in New Hampshire. The post referred to Alon by her birth name, Avishay.On Aug. 20, ICE Boston arrested Avishay Alon, a criminal illegal alien from Israel, during targeted operations in Concord, NH.Alon’s criminal history includes conviction for criminal threat against person with deadly weapon, kidnapping, and drug possession. pic.twitter.com/6D7dagAW1PAccording to a memorandum filed with the court by her defense attorney, Michael Iacopino, before transitioning, she served in Unit 81, the technological unit of the IDF Intelligence Directorate's Special Operations Division.After completing her military service, her attorney says Alon worked in senior computer engineering roles at Amazon and Microsoft and later founded two start-up companies.An image of Allison (Avishay) Alon released by ICE Boston. (credit: screenshot, SECTION 27A COPYRIGHT ACT)Why was a transgender Israeli woman arrested in the US?Alon was arrested over the kidnapping of one of her acquaintances. According to court documents, in September 2024, Alon became suspicious of an acquaintance identified in the records only as M.P.She suspected that he had put the date-rape drug GHB into her water bottle, and also suspected that he had stolen from her.She shared her suspicions with her friend Brian Levy, who proposed what he described as a "somewhat extreme" idea: kidnap the acquaintance and interrogate him.According to the indictment, when the acquaintance arrived at Alon's home in Dover, New Hampshire, Alon and Levy held him there for hours and interrogated him at gunpoint. Alon was carrying two loaded handguns, one of which was equipped with a silencer. During the interrogation, she pointed a gun at him.The kidnapping came to an unexpected end when police officers knocked on Alon's door after receiving a report about a suspicious vehicle nearby. An officer who came to the house intended to ask those inside to move the vehicle, but the victim seized the opportunity and called out to the officers for help.Following the investigation, Alon was tried as a male suspect for offenses including kidnapping, criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon, and possession of drugs found during a search of the house.On July 7, 2025, she was sentenced to between two and six years in state prison. Her accomplice, Brian Levy, was sentenced to between one and five years in prison.After the trial, Alon launched federal legal proceedings against the US prison authorities. Alon, who identifies as a woman and, according to the lawsuit, suffers from gender dysphoria, argued that her incarceration in a men's prison and the treatment she received violated her rights. Among other remedies, she sought transfer to a women's correctional facility and gender-appropriate medical care.She was transferred directly from the state prison system to US immigration authorities on the morning of August 20. She is currently being held at an immigration detention facility in Folkston, Georgia.Unusual legal battle with ICEThe transfer followed an unusual legal battle. The New Hampshire Parole Board approved Alon's "release" directly into Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody.On August 17, it emerged that Alon had been eligible for release as early as July 14. Her attorney subsequently argued that from that point onward, the state no longer had the authority to continue holding her while waiting for ICE to decide when to take her into custody.In an emergency petition, Alon asked a federal court to order her release. US District Judge Steven McAuliffe ruled on August 19 that she must be brought physically before the court to determine whether her detention and imprisonment were lawful and whether she should be released.At the same time, after opening a new federal case on her behalf, McAuliffe ordered the state to explain by 5 p.m. the following day why she should not be released. He noted that federal law appeared, under the relevant circumstances, to limit detention pursuant to an ICE detainer to 48 hours.However, on the morning of August 20, the issue was resolved differently: New Hampshire transferred Alon directly into ICE custody.In July, McAuliffe dismissed part of Alon's lawsuit, but questions remained over several of its central claims. These included a claim under the Eighth Amendment to the US Constitution, which protects against cruel and unusual punishment, an equal protection claim, and a claim under the Americans with Disabilities Act.The focus of Alon's legal battle has now shifted. She is no longer a prisoner of the State of New Hampshire and is instead being held by federal immigration authorities.ICE has not yet specified the exact basis for determining that she is unlawfully present in the United States or what the next stage of the immigration proceedings will be. No date has yet been announced for a hearing on her possible deportation to Israel.Follow us on Google