Spanish Government Pressed on Alleged Moroccan Spying of Journalist Using Pegasus Software

In a written question to the government to which Europa Press had access, Bildu asks whether the Spanish Executive has sent a request for information to the Moroccan Executive on this matter. Specifically, the parliamentarian wants to know if the Sánchez government intends to take action to elucidate the case and what it thinks of this accusation of espionage of which "a Spanish journalist has been the victim by a friendly state".

To read: Spanish Journalist Claims Morocco Hacked Phone in Diplomatic Crisis

The cybercrime section of the Madrid provincial prosecutor’s office has already opened an investigation into this alleged espionage case following the complaint filed by the journalist who had his mobile phone analyzed by the Computer Crime Unit of the Office of the Attorney General (FGE). His phone number would have been the target of the Pegasus spyware, according to the investigation carried out by Forbbiden Stories, a network that brings together 17 major international media.

On this list of 50,000 alleged victims of espionage using the Pegasus software are human rights activists, journalists, businessmen and even French President Emmanuel Macron. Forbidden Stories claims that the evidence was obtained from the mobile phones of the alleged victims that were analyzed by Amnesty International’s security lab.

To read: Morocco Denies Pegasus Spyware Use, Takes Legal Action Against Spanish Accusers

For his part, Cembrero recalled before the public prosecutor that in 2014 and 2015 he had already suffered surveillance and espionage actions by the Moroccan government, which accused him of advocating terrorism. For its part, the Moroccan government had already "categorically rejected" at the end of July these "unfounded accusations" made against it regarding these alleged espionage acts, denouncing a "misleading, massive and malicious media campaign". Subsequently, Morocco appealed to the Díaz-Bastien law firm to take legal action against the alleged Spanish victims of espionage acts via the Pegasus software.