Morocco Used Israeli Pegasus Spyware to Hack Spanish Prime Minister’s Phone

An extensive international journalistic investigation published on Thursday revealed that Morocco employed the Israeli NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware against individuals both inside and outside the country, notably targeting senior Spanish government officials. According to the report, Moroccan security services began using Pegasus in 2017 to spy on journalists, human rights activists, and high-ranking politicians domestically and abroad.

The whistleblower, known as "Safir," disclosed that the spyware was purchased by the United Arab Emirates and then transferred to Morocco’s intelligence services. Morocco reportedly targeted over 200 Spanish phone numbers for infection. Among those hacked were Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, Defense Minister Margarita Robles, and Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska, amid a severe diplomatic crisis between Spain and Morocco in 2021.

The investigation also uncovered that Morocco used Pegasus to infiltrate devices of senior officers from Spain’s Civil Guard who were in Morocco cooperating on counterterrorism efforts. A senior Spanish officer described these revelations as "a betrayal."

In November 2021, the NSO Group was blacklisted by the United States, and three weeks later, the Israeli Ministry of Defense banned cyber technology exports to several countries, including Morocco and the UAE. The investigation found no evidence of Pegasus spyware activity in Morocco after the end of 2021.

The spyware scandal continues to prompt scrutiny, with a review committee requesting documents and information related to the case. Separately, there are reports of Pegasus use detected at Downing Street in the UK.