Questions are mounting over how an Israeli cyber official arrested in an FBI child sex sting was allowed to leave the country — bad news for the credibility of the FBI and the federal prosecutor's office in Nevada.

• Tom Alexandrovich, a director in Israel's cyber defense arm, was arrested in Las Vegas last year after arranging to meet what he thought was a 15-year-old girl; he was released on bail and flew home to Israel.
• Nevada's interim US attorney, Sigal Chattah, declined to bring federal charges and handed the case to local prosecutors, who then had no defendant in the country.
• FBI Director Kash Patel was photographed alongside Chattah at Alina Habba's wedding, drawing criticism of his judgment.
• The Ninth Circuit ruled unanimously that Chattah's tenure breaks federal law because her 180-day interim term expired long ago, yet she remains in the job.
• Seven other men caught in the same two-week sting are still facing US prosecution, while Alexandrovich's court dates have repeatedly been cancelled.

Outlook: With Alexandrovich in Israel and extradition unlikely, the case looks unlikely to reach trial, while pressure builds over Chattah's disputed appointment.