Morocco’s Pegasus Spyware Operation Targets French and Spanish Officials

A new international investigation confirms that Morocco’s domestic intelligence agency, the DGST, has used the Israeli Pegasus spyware since 2017 to surveil foreign figures. The probe reveals that French officials, including former ministers of defence, education and territorial collectivités as well as Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, were targeted, and that the software was also used against Spain’s premier Pedro Sánchez and other cabinet members. In addition, an ex‑Algerian ambassador to Madrid was listed among the victims, highlighting the reach of the operation into diplomatic circles.

The consortium of journalists, comprising outlets such as The Guardian, Le Monde, Forbidden Stories and El Confidencial, documented 768 cyber‑attack attempts on roughly 250 mobile phones in Spain between May 2018 and June 2019, with a peak of 106 attacks on 16 March 2019. Technical analysis links the surveillance to a “Morgan” codename used by NSO Group, facilitated through an Emirati intermediary, and notes that France had considered purchasing Pegasus for €60‑80 million before the deal was blocked by the Élysée.

Moroccan authorities continue to deny the allegations, while the revelations have rekindled diplomatic tensions between Morocco, France, Spain and Algeria and prompted renewed legal scrutiny in France.