Published 11:52 IST, January 22nd 2020
Report suggests Saudi Crown Prince ‘hacked’ Jeff Bezos' phone, Embassy denies
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’ mobile phone got hacked after receiving a WhatsApp message from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman in 2018, suggests media report.
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’ mobile phone got hacked after receiving a WhatsApp message from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman in 2018, suggests a media report. The Guradian reported that the message from personal account of Saudi Crown Prince carried an infected video file which probably triggered the intrusion into the phone.
The digital forensics team is investigating the incident and, as reported by the US daily, large amounts of data were exfiltrated after the privacy breach. The alleged involvement of Saudi Crown Prince and his inner circle in the hacking of The Washington Post owner’s phone might open a can of worms as the incident was followed by the revelation of Bezos’ extramarital affairs and murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a Post’s columnist.
The National Enquirer, an American tabloid newspaper, published a story about Amazon CEO’s extramarital affair with Lauren Sanchez, along with intimate text messages and pictures of the duo. However, Saudi Arabia Embassy to the United States has rejected the claims and called for an investigation.
The reports of Saudi involvement in hacking is a huge setback for MBS who has been trying to repair the tarnished image after Khashoggi killing. In December, Saudi Arabia court convicted eight people in the killing of The Washington Post columnist but exonerated inner circle of MBS.
Controversial verdict
Agnes Callamard, UN Special Rapporteur on Extra-Judicial Executions, lashed out at the court verdict saying the masterminds were barely touched by the investigation and the trial. “That is the antithesis of Justice. It is a mockery,” she tweeted. Callamard said that 18 Saudi officials were present in their consulate in Istanbul for more than 10 days and cleaned up the crime scene. She called it obstruction of justice and a violation of the Minnesota Protocol for the investigation of arbitrary killings.
Updated 11:53 IST, January 22nd 2020