Ruler of Dubai authorised hacking of ex-wife’s phone, High Court finds

A UK court says the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, hacked the phones of his ex-wife Princess Haya and her attorneys during the legal battle over custody of their two children.

Sheikh Mohammed gave his “express or implied authority” to hack the phones of the princess and her attorneys using Pegasus spyware produced by NSO Group of Israel, the court said.

NSO has recently been at the center of allegations that governments are abusing electronic surveillance technology to spy on political opponents, human rights activists and journalists.