Trump adviser told to inspect phone for signs of Saudi spyware
Jared Kushner warned he may have been hacked via crown prince’s phone in similar way to Jeff Bezos
INVESTIGATORS looking into claims that the founder of Amazon had his phone hacked have recommended that other people in regular contact with the Saudi crown prince should replace their devices as a precaution.
Agnes Callamard, a UN special rapporteur who this week accused Mohammed bin Salman of installing spyware on Jeff Bezos’s phone, said figures such as Jared Kushner, a senior White House adviser who is married to Donald Trump’s daughter, Ivanka, may also have been targeted.
“I will hope that Donald Trump’s son-in-law and anyone else is at the moment changing their phone, checking their phone and contacting the best cyber security experts so we can get to the bottom of that hacking strategy and policy,” Ms Callamard told CNN.
Mr Kushner, 39, and Prince Mohammed, 34, first met in March 2017 and the powerful duo appear to have struck up a friendship and stayed in touch over Whatsapp.
US officials were reportedly alarmed that Mr Kushner, who had no previous government experience, was communicating with the Saudi prince through private channels without oversight by American diplomats.
Mr Kushner joined the White House staff in 2017 but US intelligence was reluctant to give him top-level security clearance. The reasons are unclear but it may be related to foreign investment in his family’s property business. Mr Trump eventually overruled intelligence officials and reportedly ordered that his son-in-law be given access to top secret intelligence in May 2018.
Prince Mohammed is alleged to have sent Mr Bezos a video file infected with spyware that same month.
Claims that Mr Bezos’s phone had been hacked immediately raised concerns that Mr Kushner, who has a broad White House portfolio across foreign and domestic policy, may have been similarly targeted by Saudi espionage operatives seeking US government secrets.
Saudi Arabia has strongly denied that the prince was involved in hacking Mr Bezos. The Saudi government did not respond to questions on whether it targeted Mr Kushner.
Britain’s Boris Johnson is also believed to have communicated with Prince Mohammed over Whatsapp while he was Theresa May’s foreign secretary, meaning that his mobile could also have been compromised.
Separately, a Saudi Arabian dissident who claims to have been a victim of phone hacking is suing the kingdom’s government at the High Court in London, in a rare case against the ultraconservative state.
Ghanem Almasarir, a satirist, alleges that he had his phone hacked after criticising the Saudi royal family on social media in 2018.
The 39-year-old, who has been living under police protection following the 2018 murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, reported unusual activity on his phones shortly afterwards
The devices were later analysed by the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab, which reportedly confirmed that he
‘I hope that Donald Trump’s son-in-law is checking and changing his phone’
had been sent malicious texts that were “associated” with spyware.
His lawyers said the decision by the High Court to allow them to serve the claim against Riyadh showed he had an “arguable” and legitimate case.
He has previously reported allegations of intimidation by Saudi operatives anxious to see him return to his homeland.
Mr Almasarir, who has lived in London since 2003, said: “For years it has seemed like the Saudi regime cannot be touched by the legal system but finally I have the opportunity to hold them to account in a fair and independent court of law and hopefully see justice served.
“I hope this latest development gives confidence to others who have been targeted in the same way by the regime that they can fight back.”
Martyn Day, his lawyer, said: “This is a rare case brought in this country against the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and we are pleased that the court has agreed that, given the circumstances in this case – the targeting of an individual while he was living in the UK – they are prepared to enable us to serve the formal proceedings on the Saudi government.”
US intelligence urged the UK to keep an eye on Hatice Cengiz, Khashoggi’s fiancée, after becoming aware of a Saudi plot to tail her during a trip to London last year, according to The Guardian. It is not clear if the plan was ever carried out.