Madonna 'profoundly grateful' for arrest of Israeli hacking suspect

American pop icon Madonna is expressing her gratitude after the arrest Wednesday of an Israeli man suspected of hacking the computers of a number of artists and selling their unreleased music online.

"I am profoundly grateful to the FBI, the Israeli Police investigators and anyone else who helped lead to the arrest of this hacker," the singer said on her Facebook page Wednesday.

"This invasion into my life - creatively, professionally, and personally remains a deeply devastating and hurtful experience, as it must be for all artists who are victims of this type of crime."

An unauthorized leak of several unfinished songs from her upcoming album, Rebel Heart, forced the music industry veteran to release six tracks from the record in December.

The full 19-track album isn't due out until March 10.

Millions of dollars in damages

Police said Israel's cybercrime unit arrested 38-year-old Adi Lederman on after an investigation coordinated with the FBI, which confirmed its involvement. Police also accused Lederman of stealing songs from other international artists whom they declined to name.

The FBI and Israel's national cyber unit reportedly launched an investigation after receiving a complaint from an international recording artist.

Madonna's attorney in Israel told Israeli news outlet Haaretz that the theft of "sketches of songs, photos and other personal material" had been going on for a long time, and had cost the Queen of Pop millions of dollars in damages.

The singer posted a picture of a smashed iPod on her Instagram feed back in December with the caption: "This broken ipod is a symbol of my broken heart! That my music has been stolen and leaked! I have been violated as a human and an artist!"

Madonna has long claimed a special bond with Israel. The diva has made personal pilgrimages to the country, she practices Kabbalah, a form of Jewish mysticism, and she launched her 2012 MDNA tour in Israel.

Suspect an aspiring singer 

Lederman auditioned for the Israeli reality show A Star is Born in 2012.

When asked by one of the judges what he does for a living, he responded: "Mainly wasting my life away, it seems, because I'm told that I should be on stage." He sang Stevie Wonder's Don't You Worry About a Thing.

Lederman's lawyer, Efrat Nahmany-Bar, says his client denies the allegations. She said Lederman has not been charged and believes there was not sufficient evidence for an indictment. She said Lederman has no access to computers under the terms of his house arrest.