A Spanish judge has decided to reopen an investigation into the suspected spying on the cellphone of Spain’s prime minister following a request for collaboration from France. The judge from Spain’s National Court stated that new information provided by France could potentially advance the ongoing investigations.
Both probes revolve around the alleged use of Pegasus spyware, which is developed by the Israeli NSO Group. This spyware is designed to clandestinely infiltrate phones or other devices to gather data and potentially conduct surveillance on their owners. NSO Group claims that Pegasus is exclusively intended for use by governments in combating terrorism and other security threats.
Reports indicate that Pegasus has been utilized to target over 1,000 individuals across 50 countries, including activists and journalists, as revealed by security researchers and a global media investigation conducted in 2021.
In May 2022, Spain disclosed that Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and three of his ministers, including the ministers of defense and interior, were allegedly targeted by Pegasus spyware. The initial judicial inquiry was temporarily halted due to a lack of conclusive outcomes.
Similarly, French President Emmanuel Macron and several of his ministers have purportedly been victims of Pegasus surveillance.
Furthermore, in a separate incident involving alleged Pegasus spying in Spain, the Spanish government has acknowledged using the spyware to hack the phones of prominent Catalan separatists.
