US sanctioned spyware firm’s Irish base is fake
AN international spyware firm sanctioned by the US government after its ‘Predator’ software was allegedly used to spy on the phones of top officials has never had a physical presence in the building it claims as its Dublin headquarters.
According to documents filed with the Companies Registry Office, Intellexa Limited lists its Irish headquarters as operating out of the third floor of Ulysses House on Foley Street, Dublin 1.
It lists its sole company director as Sara Hamou, who gave an address at 19 Psaron Street in Limassol, Cyprus, and describes its principal as ‘agents specialised in the sale of other particular products.
Now, according to US Department of Treasury sanctions, similar to those imposed on the Kinahan cartel two years ago, it appears those products were, in fact, spyware software used in an attempt to hijack the phones of top US officials. Under the sanctions, the company’s directors Tal Dalian and Sara Hamou have also been targeted.
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But when the Sunday World called to Ulysses House on Friday and spoke with building officials, the fact the building had been registered as Intellexa’s Irish headquarters was met with incredulity.
“A company of that name has never operated out of the third floor of this building,” one worker said after we showed him the company documents.
“I’ve worked here over 20 years and I see the post coming in every day. I don’t recognise that company name at all.”
We also spoke to a staff member in the building’s management who repeated the assertion that neither Intellexa or Sara Hamou have any connection with the building.
The sanctions announced on Tuesday last week accused Intellexa of “the proliferation of commercial spyware and surveillance technologies around the world, including to authoritarian regimes.”
Intellexa’s spyware, known as Predator, has been used to covertly surveil US officials, journalists, and policy experts, Treasury said.
The Predator spyware enables access to personal data stored on or transmitted through a phone, such as text messages or photos. Predator is the predecessor of the formidable Pegasus spyware, and has been found in at least 25 countries.