Walter Alejandro Kogan, Israel Police representative in Latin America, ended the weeklong search in Argentina after Mali and Liel Yahalomi — and his brief Hebrew greeting quickly turned him into an unlikely social media starynet|“Hi Mali, hi Liel. I’m Walter, the police representative in South America, OK? From the Israel Police Intelligence Division.”Mali and Liel Yahalomi identified on a bus in Buenos Aires, Argentina (Video: Israel Police)“I want to ask you a few questions. We were very worried about you, OK?” the officer continued. “I’m going to get everyone off the bus, and then we’ll talk, OK?”The discovery of the mother and daughter alive brought relief after days of uncertainty over what had happened to them after they left Israel for Prague and suddenly dropped out of contact. They had continued to Vienna, apparently traveled through Frankfurt and eventually reached Buenos Aires, where they were located.Their failure to board a scheduled flight from Prague back to Israel had intensified the search, while relatives said the abrupt loss of contact was completely out of character. With their whereabouts unknown as they moved across Europe, the case drew widespread attention in Israel and prompted fears among some that the disappearance could have involved a crime or a terrorist attack targeting Israelis.Instead, the search ended thousands of miles away in Argentina.And almost immediately, attention in Israel turned to the man behind the voice in the police video.GalleryIsrael Police representative in Latin America Walter Alejandro Kogan (left) with Paraguayan police representativesHis name is Walter Alejandro Kogan, an Israel Police representative in Latin America and the officer who helped bring the search by Israeli police and its Lahav 433 national investigations unit to a successful conclusion.Kogan’s brief Hebrew exchange with the women quickly went viral in Israel, inspiring memes about an officer whose face was not even visible in the clip. Some social media users jokingly speculated that “Walter” was a name he had adopted for his overseas posting.It was not.Kogan, a resident of the southern city of Be'er Sheva, spent years in more conventional police work before moving into international law enforcement.'Walter, the police representative, entering the bus'He previously served as the investigations and intelligence officer at the Arad police station in southern Israel, with the rank of superintendent. He was later promoted to chief superintendent and appointed the Israel Police representative for Latin America.In Arad, a desert city west of the Dead Sea, Kogan handled property crimes and several cases that made Israeli news, including break-ins at rooms at the Milos Hotel at the Dead Sea and burglaries at synagogues belonging to the Ger Hasidic community.'How Walter must've felt when he introduced himself to Mali and Liel on the bus'He was also involved in the investigation of a Bedouin Israeli man accused of committing an indecent act against an 11-year-old girl at a shopping mall in the city.His current job is markedly different.When Kogan introduced himself to Mali and Liel, he said he was from the Israel Police Intelligence Division, the operational body responsible for managing the force’s representatives overseas, providing professional direction and coordinating investigative and intelligence activity against crime.'Hi, I'm Walter, the police representative in South America'Unlike his operational work in Arad, much of Kogan’s current role is built around international cooperation and law enforcement diplomacy.Police attachés and representatives abroad effectively serve as an overseas arm of the Israel Police and National Security Ministry. They provide official operational and intelligence links between Israeli police and law enforcement, security and intelligence agencies in the countries where they serve.Representatives typically cover several countries within a geographical region. In the search for Mali and Liel, Israeli police representatives in Europe were also involved.Me discovering Friday night's Walter feedTheir regular work includes coordinating intelligence and operations against organized crime groups and Israeli criminal targets operating overseas. They also assist investigations into crimes with direct implications for Israel, including international drug trafficking, money laundering and human trafficking.Police representatives can also become involved in extradition proceedings involving suspects wanted by Israel or other countries and in international legal assistance, including arranging witness testimony or questioning suspects abroad for investigations being conducted in Israel.'Hi Mali, hi Liel. I’m Walter, the police representative in South America'International police cooperation between Israel and Argentina has long included exchanges of information aimed at combating transnational organized crime. Argentine authorities have publicly described such cooperation as covering crime prevention, investigations and the exchange of intelligence.Kogan himself has previously been publicly identified in Argentina as representing the Israel Police during a major international investigation into child sexual exploitation that involved authorities across eight countries.Since taking up his Latin American posting, Kogan has met police officials across the continent as part of efforts to strengthen cooperation and information-sharing.On April 29, Bolivian police said Deputy Commander and Chief of Staff Juan Román Peña Rojas held a coordination meeting with Kogan, whom they identified as the Israel Police attaché for Latin America. Bolivian authorities said the meeting focused on strengthening cooperation and exchanging security expertise.Kogan (right) with Bolivian police representativesIn April 2025, Kogan met police officials in Argentina — the country where Mali and Liel would eventually be found.Local authorities said at the time that they had shown him how the city’s comprehensive security system operated. Kogan expressed interest in a program for locating and recovering property, they said, and the sides agreed to share expertise and strengthen cooperation.Earlier this year, Kogan also met Interpol representatives in Paraguay, who said they presented the Israeli officer with the border-control system used at a major international crossing. Paraguayan officials said such contacts help strengthen operational capabilities and develop joint strategies for safer and more efficient border management.Kogan (left) with Argentinian police representativesThose relationships are the less visible side of a police attaché’s work. The job usually involves coordination meetings, intelligence exchanges, extradition cases and cooperation against cross-border crime.This week, it involved finding two Israelis whose disappearance had become a national story back home.Kogan may hardly have expected that his posting in Latin America — or a few sentences spoken in Hebrew on a bus — would make him an overnight social media sensation in Israel.After finding Mali and Liel, he questioned them briefly to establish that they were safe and determine whether there was any indication that a crime had been committed.'Walter in the aisle of the bus'There apparently was not.With the search over and no suspicion of criminal conduct involving the mother and daughter, police allowed them to continue their journey.For days, Israelis had been asking where Mali and Liel Yahalomi had gone. In the end, the answer came from an Israeli police officer on the other side of the world, beginning with a few reassuring words in Hebrew:“Hi Mali, hi Liel. I’m Walter.”