Pegasus Spyware: Ruler of Dubai authorised hacking of ex wife’s phone, High Court finds
The ruler of Dubai authorised the hacking of his former wife and her lawyers’ phones with multimillion-pound spyware during a legal battle over their two children, the High Court has found. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, 72, gave his “express or implied authority” for the phone of his sixth wife Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, 47, to be infiltrated with Pegasus spyware during the ongoing legal case, the court ruled. The vice president and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), who was previously found to have conducted a “campaign of fear and intimidation” against Princess Haya, also authorised the use of Pegasus on Princess Haya’s solicitors, her personal assistant and two members of her security team, it was found. The use of Pegasus, which is manufactured by the NSO Group and sold exclusively to nation states, came to light in August 2020 when Cherie Blair told Princess Haya’s solicitor Baroness Shackleton that she may have been hacked, the court heard. Subscribe to the Evening Standard on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7RQon_YwCnp_LbPtEwW65w?sub_confirmation=1
