Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Al Mayadeen correspondent to southern Lebanon: Israeli warplanes launched a raid on the Ksar Zaatar neighborhood in western Nabatieh.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Gaza: The tower destroyed by the Israeli occupation in Gaza includes media offices, including Al Mayadeen's bureau.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Gaza: Four fetuses and three premature babies died at Nasser Medical Complex due to malnutrition
Lebanese Ministry of Health: One person was killed in an Israeli airstrike on a car in the town of Burj Qalawieh, south Lebanon.
Al Mayadeen correspondent: The first ship of the Maghreb fleet delivering aid to break the siege on Gaza departs from the port of Gammarth in Tunisia.
Channel 12: Airspace closed at Ramon Airport due to fears of drone infiltration
IOF Spokesperson: Sirens sounded over an aircraft infiltration in the Bir Ora area, and details are being examined
Drone infiltration sirens sound north of the Gulf of Aqaba
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Gaza: The Israeli occupation carried out five extremely violent raids on the western areas of Gaza City
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Gaza: The Israeli occupation carried out major bombings in the Gaza Strip, the most violent since October 7

Spain spy chief fired over Pegasus phone hacking scandal

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 10 May 2022 17:11
3 Min Read

The Spanish government, following a deep crisis within the country over the hacking of the phones of officials, sacks the chief of the national intelligence agency.

  • x
  • Director of the National Intelligence Centre (CNI) Paz Esteban
    Director of the National Intelligence Centre (CNI) Paz Esteban

Madrid dismissed Tuesday the Spanish national intelligence chief as the scandal surrounding the hacking of the prime minister and Catalan leaders' phones unfolds.

The whole debacle kicked off in April when Canadian cybersecurity firm Citizen Lab revealed that the phones of more than 60 people with ties to the Catalan separatist movement had been infiltrated and tapped using Pegasus spyware following a thwarted independence bid in 2017.

The government confirmed last week the targeting of the phone of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Defense Minister Margarita Robles, which sparked many concerns over cybersecurity in the country among its officials.

The hacking took place in May 2021 through the Israeli spyware, Felix Bolanos, the secretary of state of the Prime Minister's office, announced at a news conference.

Madrid announced that it would be replacing Paz Esteban, the first woman to head the CNI, Spain's intelligence agency, Robles added, whose ministry oversees the agency, in confirmation of media reports suggesting so.

"There are flaws, mistakes" in the way the affair was handled by the CNI, she told reporters. 

Esteban was asked to appear before a parliamentary committee for questioning on Thursday over the scandal that brought much attention to the state of cybersecurity in the country.

Related News

Seoul presses Washington after Georgia raid on South Korean workers

Maduro warns of threats, urges 'battle for truth' to defend Venezuela

The official confirmed that 18 Catalan separatists, including Pere Aragone, the head of the regional government in Catalonia, had been spied on by the CNI, though that spying was approved by Madrid. 

The affair had led to a crisis between Sanchez's minority government and the ERC separatist Catalan party. The premier's fragile coalition is heavily reliant on the separatist party within parliament, as it cannot pass legislation alone.

On May 2, the scandal deepened following the revelation that Sanchez and Robles' phones were hacked by the same spyware, the Israeli NSO group's Pegasus.

Israeli NSO Group's spyware, notorious for its usage in many cyberattacks around the world, helped authoritarian governments silence their opposition, journalists, human rights activists, and the heads of other states.

The scandal involved the phones of about 50,000 targets, which included many prominent politicians, businessmen, activists, journalists, and opposition figures around the world.

In December, it was found that Pegasus was also used to hack the iOS devices of 11 US State Department employees. The targets were either based in Uganda or focused on matters concerning Kampala.

Ahead of the discovery, the United States placed "Israel's" spyware maker NSO Group, the corporation behind the notorious Pegasus, on its list of restricted companies.

The FBI had previously confirmed to The Guardian that it had obtained access to the controversial spyware that put the Israeli occupation under fire, Pegasus, in 2019, claiming that the purpose of such purchase was only to test the product and evaluate it.

  • United States
  • NSO
  • Spain
  • Israeli occupation
  • NSO Group
  • CNI
  • Catalonia
  • FBI
  • Pegasus

Most Read

The damaged building in the Katara neighborhood, Doha, Qatar, September 9, 2025 (Social media)

Hamas delegation survives Israeli assassination attempt in Qatar

  • Politics
  • 9 Sep 2025
Pro-"Israel" conservative Charlie Kirk shot during Utah speech

American far-right activist Charlie Kirk shot dead during Utah speech

  • US & Canada
  • 11 Sep 2025
Uprising against Volker Turk at the Human Rights Council over Gaza.

Uprising against Volker Turk at the Human Rights Council over Gaza

  • Politics
  • 12 Sep 2025
A screengrab from the ad played on Fox News. (X Screengrab)

Fox airs ad warning Trump not to let Netanyahu 'play' him on Gaza

  • US & Canada
  • 11 Sep 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
President Nicolas Maduro gestures to supporters during the inauguration of a monument in China's honor on the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, September 3, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Maduro warns of threats, urges 'battle for truth' to defend Venezuela

Damage is seen after an Israeli strike targeted a compound that hosted Hamas' political leadership in Doha, Qatar, Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell)
Politics

Netanyahu informed Trump before deadly attack in Doha: Reports

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio hold a joint press conference at the Prime Minister's Office, during Rubio's visit, in occupied al-Quds, occupied Palestine, Monday, September 15, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Netanyahu warns of Israeli isolation, calls to boost self-reliance

Spain axes €700Mln arms deals with 'Israel' over Gaza genocide
Politics

Spain axes €700Mln arms deals with 'Israel' over Gaza genocide

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS