A recent investigation by The Guardian, conducted in collaboration with an international consortium of media organizations, alleges that Morocco’s domestic intelligence services operated the Pegasus spyware platform for several years to monitor a wide range of domestic and international targets. According to The Guardian, the investigation is based on testimony from former intelligence officials, leaked documents, forensic analysis, and technical support provided by Amnesty International’s Security Lab.

According to The Guardian, a former member of Morocco’s Direction Générale de la Surveillance du Territoire (DGST), identified under the pseudonym « Safir, » claimed that Moroccan authorities began using Pegasus in 2017 after receiving extensive demonstrations of the technology from representatives of the Israeli company NSO Group. The former intelligence officer alleged that the spyware was subsequently deployed against journalists, human rights defenders, political figures, diplomats, and security officials.

Pegasus, developed by Israel-based NSO Group, is capable of remotely accessing mobile devices, including emails, messages, photographs, microphones, and cameras. According to The Guardian, NSO Group maintains that the software is licensed exclusively to governments for combating terrorism and serious crime, although the technology has repeatedly been linked to allegations of surveillance against journalists, activists, and political opponents in multiple countries.

The investigation further alleges that Morocco expanded its surveillance activities beyond its borders. According to The Guardian, leaked Pegasus records indicate that more than 200 Spanish telephone numbers were selected for potential targeting. The report also references previous disclosures by the Spanish government confirming that the mobile phones of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Defence Minister Margarita Robles had been infected with Pegasus in 2021, during a period of diplomatic tensions between Madrid and Rabat.

According to The Guardian, evidence reviewed by the investigative consortium suggests that one of the Pegasus operator accounts associated with Morocco was also used in attacks targeting senior Spanish political figures. The publication further reports that additional Spanish officials, including Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska and Agriculture Minister Luis Planas, were also affected.

The investigation also alleges that Morocco monitored members of Spain’s Guardia Civil involved in bilateral counterterrorism cooperation. According to The Guardian, leaked documents, testimony from former Moroccan intelligence personnel, and information from Spanish security officials suggest that Moroccan intelligence sought access to communications belonging to officers participating in joint security initiatives.

According to The Guardian, former DGST officials claimed that Pegasus was reserved for high-priority intelligence targets because of its operational cost and capabilities. One former officer reportedly described the software as « the monster’s weapon, » suggesting it was deployed only after less sophisticated surveillance methods had been exhausted.

The report additionally examines the alleged acquisition of Pegasus. According to The Guardian, the whistleblower claimed that the spyware may have been supplied to Morocco through the United Arab Emirates, although no independent confirmation of this allegation has been presented.

The Guardian notes that the investigation did not identify evidence of Pegasus-assisted surveillance in Morocco after late 2021. The publication also reports that NSO Group, the Moroccan government, authorities in the United Arab Emirates, and other organizations named in the investigation were approached for comment.

Morocco has consistently denied using Pegasus to target critics or foreign officials. According to The Guardian, Moroccan authorities have previously rejected allegations linking the country to the spyware, maintaining that investigators have failed to establish any relationship between Morocco and NSO Group.

The Guardian’s investigation forms part of the broader Pegasus Project, an international collaborative effort involving 14 media organizations and technical experts that continues to examine the global use of commercial spyware by government agencies.

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