Tunisia's Ghannouchi reportedly targeted by Pegasus spyware on behalf of Saudi Arabia

Tunisia’s Parliament speaker and head of the Islamist Ennahda party has appeared on a list of people believed to be targets of the Israeli NSO Group's Pegasus spyware, which includes around 50,000 phone numbers belonging to activists, journalists, and world leaders.

Rached El-Ghannouchi was allegedly targeted by Saudi Arabia using the Israeli-made surveillance tool, according to media reports. His primary phone number, which he has used for 10 years and is not in the public domain, was found to be on the list made public by rights watchdog Amnesty International, non-profit organization Forbidden Stories and a network of 16 media organisations in 10 countries.

Is your country on this Pegasus Spyware list?#PegasusProject pic.twitter.com/jWuSXLhKtR

— Amnesty International (@amnesty) July 19, 2021

“I’m dismayed that a brotherly country would target the democratically elected speaker of a sovereign nation,” Ghannouchi told Middle East Eye.

"This is yet another attack on our parliament and democratic institutions. However much anti-democratic forces try to extinguish our people's aspirations to freedom, prosperity and independence, Tunisia will continue to be a source of pride and inspiration to all supporters of democracy in our region and around the world."

The NSO Group, an Israeli tech company, has targeted unaware citizens on behalf of its clients since 2016, including slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

According to Forbidden Stories, an organisation promoting collaborative journalism, Ghannouchi's phone was selected for surveillance by a party in Saudi Arabia in 2019.

It is not clear whether the software successfully infected the phone. Once installed, the software gives the attacker complete access to the device's contacts, messages, emails, photos, microphone, and camera.

The list targeted several opponents of the Saudi monarchy, including high-ranking officials in Turkey, the UAE and Lebanon.  

Pegasus spyware has been used in 40 countries, but so far only 11 countries have been identified as customers of NSO Group, including Mexico, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Rwanda, India, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, and Togo.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt are particularly hostile to Islamist parties such as Ennahda.

Ghannouchi, 80, is currently embroiled in a political crisis after President Kais Saied controversially dismissed the government and froze parliament. Ghannouchi has condemned the move as a coup.