All news on the topic: Shalev Hulio

Even “warrior monks” have secrets. Sébastien Lecornu opted for this term himself, pledging his loyalty to Emmanuel Macron when he was appointed prime minister. The expression carries an ascetic, even dull connotation.

Trailing targets, monitoring internet cafes, deploying spyware: Morocco has mobilized a massive arsenal of surveillance tools against journalists and dissidents in recent years. At the forefront is Pegasus, a spyware that has been used to target foreign heads of state and government, among others.

From product demonstrations at a secret villa in Rabat to training sessions at NSO’s Herzliya headquarters, Forbidden Stories and its partners retrace the early stages of Morocco’s use of Pegasus.

Morocco’s government has long denied using the Israeli spyware Pegasus to surveil its citizens. Now, a former Moroccan intelligence officer provides new evidence that the government did employ the software, and explains how it was used.

Spyware company NSO Group’s co-founder Shalev Hulio used an Israeli diplomatic passport to enter Panama in 2013, raising questions over the firm’s claims of independence from the Israeli state.