Before Pegasus, the DGST relied on human intelligence, targeting terminals in internet cafes, and infecting phones with other spyware.
Safir said Pegasus was used only for high-value targets after cheaper options were exhausted. "We never start with Pegasus.
It's the monster's weapon," he explained.
In September 2017, four Moroccan mobile numbers were selected as Pegasus targets to test the system, including numbers linked to two DGST staff members.
That same month, numbers of Moroccan journalists and human rights defenders began appearing in the system.
Expanding Across Borders into Spain
A Spanish mobile number belonging to Western Sahara activist Aminatou Haidar was targeted by Pegasus from 2018, with traces found on a second phone in November 2021.
The number of journalist Ignacio Cembrero, who focuses on the Maghreb, was also listed.
Pegasus project records show more than 200 Spanish mobile numbers were selected for targeting by the user believed to be Morocco.
In May 2022, Spain revealed that the phones of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Defense Minister Margarita Robles were infected in May and June 2021.
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The targeting occurred during a diplomatic row over Spain allowing the leader of the Polisario Front to be treated for Covid-19 in a Spanish hospital.
The phones of Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska and Agriculture Minister Luis Planas were also targeted.
Judicial attempts to investigate the Pegasus targeting have stalled.
An investigating judge closed the case in July 2023, reopened it after France provided information on Pegasus infections of French officials, but shelved it again in January 2024 due to lack of cooperation from Israeli authorities.
