Georgia detains Tinder Swindler Simon Leviev on Interpol Red Notice

Shimon Yehuda Hayut, the Israeli man known as Simon Leviev and widely portrayed in a 2022 documentary as the "Tinder Swindler," was detained by Georgian authorities at Batumi International Airport on Sunday after an Interpol Red Notice, officials said. Georgian Interior Ministry officials confirmed he was picked up as he crossed the border, but they did not immediately identify which country had requested the alert or the specific charges prompting the detention.

Hayut’s lawyer told Israeli media he had spoken with his client after the arrest but did not yet know the reason for the detention, saying Hayut "has been traveling freely around the world." Some reports have identified a separate criminal complaint in Germany, alleging Hayut stole roughly 52,000 euros from a woman in Berlin and used her identity to open credit accounts and a phone contract. Those accounts say a Georgian court ordered Hayut held for three months pending possible extradition to Germany, and his legal team said they planned to appeal the detention and seek dismissal of any German case.

Hayut rose to international notoriety after a Netflix documentary depicted him allegedly posing as the son of a wealthy...