Ori Solomon, a 55-year-old Israeli citizen residing in the U.S. on a work visa, was arrested in connection with a suspected illegal biological laboratory discovered in a Las Vegas home on Saturday, January 31, 2026. The raid, conducted by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI, uncovered refrigerators and vials containing unknown liquids, a centrifuge, a biosafety hood, and over 1,000 samples sent to the National Bioforensic Analysis Center in Maryland for testing.
Authorities also found gallon-sized containers with red-brown unknown liquids and equipment consistent with bio-laboratory operations. Court documents said federal agents seized four handguns and two rifles from the residence. Solomon, who has passports from France and Israel, is in the country on a work visa and is not allowed to possess any guns.
Multiple individuals, including house cleaners and Airbnb renters, reported becoming "deathly ill" after entering the garage, experiencing symptoms like severe fatigue, breathing issues, and inability to get out of bed. One person required hospitalization for respiratory issues. The home, located on Sugar Springs Drive, was reportedly managed by Solomon and operated as an Airbnb.
Court documents said authorities investigated the home after a person reported the garage remained locked all the time and smelled “like a hospital — not like a clean hospital but more of a foul, stale, stagnant air smell.”
Two people who entered the home’s garage became “deathly ill” and were bedridden for days, the filing said. The tipster said several people had gotten sick after visiting the residence.
The home in the Vegas suburbs may be linked to the Chinese Communist Party, authorities said.
Clark County records show the residence is associated with a limited liability company that operated a similar, illegal biolab in California that federal agents shut down three years ago.
Solomon, was charged with discharging hazardous waste and illegal possession of firearms, including a Glock handgun and an Israeli-made IWI Tabor X95 rifle. Despite these charges, he was released on personal recognizance bond on February 6, 2026**, by U.S. Magistrate Judge Elayna Youchah. He is required to surrender his passports, remain within the Continental U.S., and notify the court if he leaves Clark County. Prosecutors did not seek pretrial detention, and no federal charges were filed related to the biological lab materials.
The case is linked to Jia Bei Zhu, a Chinese national and fugitive from Canada, who was previously arrested in 2023 for operating an illegal biolab in Reedley, California. That lab was found to contain pathogen-labeled containers marked with HIV, tuberculosis, malaria, dengue fever, and Ebola, along with 1,000 genetically modified mice used in experiments. Zhu is currently in federal custody and faces charges related to fraud, conspiracy, and misbranding medical devices.
Despite Zhu’s attorney stating he is not involved in the Las Vegas lab, records show Zhu is the registered agent of the LLC that owns the Las Vegas property, and phone logs reveal he contacted Solomon 467 times in January 2026. Authorities believe Solomon was managing Zhu’s properties and transferring funds. The FBI has since served a new search warrant at Zhu’s Reedley home, continuing the investigation into potential nationwide lab networks.
The discovery has raised concerns about federal oversight and inter-agency coordination, with officials from Reedley, California, criticizing the lack of response when they tried to warn federal agencies about the risks of similar labs. The investigation remains ongoing.
The case has drawn comparisons to a similar 2023 incident in Reedley, California, where Jia Bei Zhu (also known as David He), a Chinese national, was arrested and charged with operating a secret lab containing pathogens like HIV, hepatitis, and SARS-CoV-2.
Zhu is currently in federal custody and faces trial in April 2026. Investigators believe Solomon managed multiple properties tied to Zhu and Wang Zhao Yan, who is reportedly in China and monitoring the Las Vegas property via surveillance cameras. Solomon is also linked to the same LLC name used in the California case.
Solomon's case has sparked broader criticism regarding the treatment of Israeli nationals in U.S. legal proceedings, particularly in light of the 2025 release of Tom Artion Alexandrovich, another Israeli cybersecurity official arrested in Las Vegas on child exploitation charges, who was released on a $10,000 bond and later returned to Israel despite unclear legal status.
While Solomon’s case remains under investigation, the release of high-profile Israeli suspects without formal charges has fueled debate over U.S. judicial transparency and foreign diplomatic influence. No official connection has been proven between the California and Las Vegas labs, though officials note the materials are “consistent in appearance.” The full scope of Solomon’s involvement—and the potential implications of the biolab—remains under scrutiny.
