The Pegasus Project - India selects Imran Khan as 'Person of Interest'

Human rights group Amnesty International and the French media group Forbidden Stories have access to a record of 50,000 numbers.  Includes numbers of 14 rulers.

The 17 news organizations working on The Pegasus Project with Amnesty International and Forbidden Stories also concluded from the numbers and other materials included in the list that these numbers were used by Pegasus spyware developed by the Israeli company NSO.  Which countries have chosen to do so?

According to the study, Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan was selected by India in 2019 as a 'Person of Interest'.

According to the study, the list includes three current presidents (France, Iraq, South Africa), three current prime ministers (Pakistan, Egypt, Morocco), seven former prime ministers when they were in office (Yemen, Lebanon, Uganda, France, Kazakhstan, Algeria (Belgium) and the King of Morocco.

Note that the number in this list does not mean that this person has been hacked or attempted to be hacked by Pegasus.  This list appears to identify people who have been selected as 'Person of Interest'.

However, an analysis of the mobile phones of some of the people on the list revealed that they were later targeted by Pegasus.

These leaders were contacted but none of them provided their phones for analysis to confirm whether their phones were successfully hacked or attempted to be hacked.

The NSO has defended itself in the light of the new allegations, saying that French President Emmanuel McChwan, whose name was included in the list by Morocco according to the investigation had been targeted by consumer countries using his spyware.  "Never targeted."

In addition to the French president, Moroccan King Mohammed VI, and the head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom, were named by Morocco in 2019, according to the study, but the NSO has denied spying on the two men.  He said they were "never elected, nor have they ever been targeted by any NSO user."

The NSO did not comment on the other names.

It is important to note that the NSO has consistently insisted that their spyware is sold solely to government agencies after investigation, with the sole purpose of deterring terrorist and criminal elements. 

 Also, Read this!

What is Pegasus spyware made by Israeli company NSO?